A wooden warehouse dating from 1777, exhibitions on Icelandic emigration and an outdoor swimming pool overlooking Drangey give Hofsós a range of cultural and scenic attractions. When planning your trip, it is worth considering these topics separately: the historic townscape, the history of emigration, and the pool and coastal landscape each offer a distinct focus.
Heritage and local history
Pakkhúsið is a wooden warehouse with a tall, black-tarred roof. It was built in 1777 and is one of the oldest warehouses of its kind in Iceland. It is also an important landmark in Hofsós. Visitors cannot enter the building, so going inside is not an option on site.
Restoration of the old town center began in 1990. Valgeir Thorvaldsson wanted to preserve the treasures of traditional architecture and develop Hofsós into a cultural attraction. This local history places the preservation of individual historic buildings in a broader context: traditional architecture was explicitly part of the restoration project.
Emigration exhibitions
The Icelandic Emigration Center is devoted to the history of Icelandic emigration. Its permanent exhibition, “New Land, New Life,” is housed in Gamla Kaupfélagið, the Old Cooperative Building. “Silent Flashes” is housed in Frændgarður and focuses on the photography of Icelandic emigrants. A general perspective on emigration and a specific photographic perspective are thus presented side by side.
“Prairies Wide and Free,” an exhibition about the history of settlements founded by Icelandic emigrants in North Dakota, is housed in Konungsverslunarhúsið. The center also has an exhibition about the few Icelanders who settled in Brazil. The two topics highlight different destinations for emigration: North American settlements on the one hand and Brazil on the other.
At Frændgarður, the library and genealogical center help visitors find information about Icelandic family history. This focus differs from that of the exhibitions: here, the subject is not only emigration as a collective history, but also the search for family connections.
Outdoor pool, coast and local tradition
The Hofsós outdoor swimming pool is set on a slope descending toward the sea and offers views of Drangey and Skagafjörður. It measures 25 × 10.5 meters, with a depth ranging from 0.8 to 1.8 meters. The water is about 30 to 31 °C, while the hot tub is about 38 to 39 °C. The temperature figures for the pool and hot tub are therefore clearly distinct.
Below the swimming pool, Staðarbjargavík, a basalt formation, lies on the coast. The site connects a description of the coastal landscape with a local storytelling tradition: according to local lore, Staðarbjargavík was the capital of the elf population of Skagafjörður. This story is passed down as local folklore and adds a different perspective on the bay to its geological description.
Discover more destinations: Skagaströnd, Svínavatn, Lækjamót, Hvammstangi, Ríp, Hólar, Miklibær, Húnavatn.
For the broader travel overview: Northwest Iceland.
