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Relax in hotpots and enjoy a genuine steam bath with water from the largest hot spring in Europe - Deildartunguhver.
Welcome to Borgarnes!
Borgarnes is only about 70 km from Reykjavík, an ideal destination for
travelers looking for a short ride to where they can experience country
life in a classic agricultural district. Just 40 minutes from the
capital, the route to Borgarnes passes through the Hvalfjarðargöng
Tunnel on Route 1 going north. The town is the crossroads where the
routes to west and north Iceland meet.
About 1,800 people reside in Borgarnes, while a total of 2,520 live in
the surrounding Borgarbyggð municipality. The Borgarfjarðarhérað
district has an overall population of about 3,400.
Borgarnes is the center for transportation, trade and services. There
is a health care center, shops, hotel, restaurant and service companies.
The municipality has good elementary and nursery schools, a robust social life and excellent services for residents.
The local district has two colleges: Bifröst School of Business and the Hvanneyri Agricultural University.
Just above Borgarnes is a good 9-hole golf course and excellent facilities for horsemen.
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Borgarnes Sport Center!
Water Paradise of West Iceland
Marvelous fitness and bathing facilities.
Facilities include swimming pools, water slides, hot pots, steam bath
and a sports hall with a workout room and tanning benches. There is
also a modern football field as well as an athletic field with 6
running lanes and a practice field.
The swimming facilities are very popular, in particular since they are
carefully set in an area of particularly beautiful landscapes.
The steam bath is special in that the steam is pumped direct from the largest hot spring in Europe, Deildartunguhver.
Varmaland at Stafholtstungum, 20 km above Borgarnes, also has a swimming pool with hot spring water, a steam bath, athletic hall and camping site.
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The history and nature
The Borgarfjörður Regional Museum is in Borgarnes, and houses a
Library, Archives, a Natural History Collection, an Art Collection and
a Museum of Local History.
Skallagrímsgarður is the Borgarnes botanical garden. It is there where
Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson, one of Iceland's original settlers and
father of Egill Skallagrímsson, is laid to rest. He lived at Borg á
Mýrum, where scholar and historian Snorri Sturluson lived before he
moved to Reykholt.
There are numerous interesting sites in the vicinity of Borgarnes,
including Grábrók in Norðurárdalur Valley, the largest eruption crater
of three along that volcanic fissure. Good hiking trails are in the
area. Baula, a rhyolite mountain, towers 934 m above Norðurárdalur
Valley, and nearby is Norðurá River, one of the country's best salmon
fishing rivers.
Hítardalur Valley is a notable historic site, and a trading post was
once in Straumfjörður fjord. The Snorrastofa Cultural Center is about
50 km from Borgarnes, and the beautiful Húsafell outdoor recreation
area is a stone's throw from the Eiríksjökull and Langjökull glaciers.
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Websites, links and leisure opportunities in the area:
www.borgarbyggd.is - Borgarbyggð municipality.
www.safnahus.is - museum, natural history museum and local museum.
www.borgarfjordur.is - Borgarfjörður district.
www.vesturland.is - West Iceland
www.gbborgarnes.net - Borgarnes golf club.
www.hvanneyri.is - cultural center, agricultural university.
www.reykholt.is - cradle of West Iceland culture.
www.snorrastofa.is - cultural and research institute.
www.husafell.is - outdoor paradise, hiking trails, swimming pools, golf, outdoor activities.
www.centrumnatura.is - adventure trips, glacier trips and waterfall climbing, etc.
www.fljotstunga.is - cave exploring.
www.bjartey.is - hiking trips with guidance in beautiful Hvalfjörður Fjord. |
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