Flateyri (Westfjords Iceland)
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Region
Iceland - Greenland - Faroe Islands
Local Time
2021-08-05 15:22
55°F 12.7°C
Light breeze1.7 m/s
56 °F / 14 °C 48 °F / 9 °C
Flateyri is a small port town located in Westfjords, Iceland. It has population around 200, ranking it Onundarfjordur's largest settlement.
Flateyri port has been an important trading post since 1792. It temporarily became a whaling station during the 19th century. An avalanche hit Flateyri in October 1995, destroying 29 houses and killing 20 people. A deflecting dam has since been built in order to protect the village from avalanches.
During the 1990s, the village prospered as a fishing port. However, after 2008-2011's financial crisis, local fishing companies shut down and lots of the residents left. A fishing company based in Germany has set up base in Flateyri and is currently fishing in and out of Onundarfjordur.
The Esso gas station was the subject of Belgian documentary in a series about worldwide gas stations. The 1995's avalanche was a subject of another feature documentary - "The Day of The Avalanche", which premiered in 2010 in Reykjavik (on the event's 15th anniversary).