Borgarnes – The Saga Town
Borgarnes – The Saga Town
Borgarnes is a service center for the farming community in Borgarfjordur as well as the many holiday homes in the surrounding area.
It has one of the best swimming pools in Iceland, a good bakery in the shopping complex by the bridge, several fast food outlets at the service stations, a farm shop ‘Ljomalind’ by the junction of roads 1 and 54, and an excellent restaurant at the Settlement Centre.
The Settlement Centre’s exhibition traces Iceland’s early history and literature. The thoughtful multimedia exhibition provides an insight into the settlement of Iceland, how the island was discovered during the Viking era, why the Vikings left their homes in Norway and how they became such good sailors as to conquer the open sea and reach Iceland. On the same site, you’ll find a second exhibition on Egil’s Saga, one of the most skillfully crafted of the Icelandic Sagas.
Around Borgarnes numerous stone cairns have been erected at points where events in the Saga took place. One of these is by the small but beautifully tended park on the right as you drive towards the town center, where you can discover some of the key events of the Saga.
A gifted poet, Egill was an enigmatic character, prone to violence, yet often drawn into fits of melancholy. His family settled at Borg, just north of the town at the start of road 54 – a pretty church marks the site. 'Borg' translates as 'rocky outcrop' and is a word often used in Icelandic to describe an easily defended spot and historically, a good location for a farm to be sited. Borgarnes gets its name from the farm at Borg.
The Borgarfjordur Museum has two exhibits: a photographic journey through the 20th century and an exhibition titled ‘Oh to be a Bird’.
The tidal mud flats around Borgarnes attract many birds. A good place to view them from is Englendingavik 'Englishman's Cove', where you'll find a small cafe of the same name, housed in a historic warehouse.