Þykkvibær Explained

Native Name Lang:is
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Iceland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Iceland
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Suðurland
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Rangárþing ytra
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Water Percent:0
Area Total Km2:1.18
Area Land Km2:1.18
Area Water Km2:0
Length Km:1.86
Width Km:0.67
Population Density Km2:auto
Utc Offset1:+0
Timezone1 Dst:Not observed
Utc Offset1 Dst:+0

Þykkvibær (in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈθɪhkvɪˌpaiːr̥/), also known as Þykkvabær in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈθɪhkva-/, is a village in South Iceland, part of the municipality of Rangárþing ytra. It is the oldest rural village in Iceland. As of January 2021 there are 79 inhabitants.[1]


The settlement is first mentioned in church records in 1270,[2] and was the first rural village in Iceland, and for more than 900 years the only one.[3] [4] Located in the estuary between the rivers Þjórsá and Hólsá, it was subject to encroachment and to being cut off by floodwaters and had a fluctuating, partly seasonal population.[5] Fishing was traditionally a significant part of the village economy, drawing crew from inland to work on the boats, but stopped from 1896 to 1916 after the fleet was destroyed, and ended permanently after March 1955, when a boat with 11 men aboard capsized on emerging from the channel into the open sea; no one was killed, although six were trapped under the overturned boat and had to be rescued.[3] [4]

In 1923, the mayor, Sigurður Ólafsson í Habæ, organised the village's entire labour force to build a 340m (1,120feet) dam, the Djúpósstífla, diverting the Þverá river to flow into the Hólmsá; the task required 4,000 man-days.[3] [6] The resulting drainage made the land above the village easier to cultivate, and Þykkvibær is now known in Iceland for growing potatoes, sold under the Þykkvabæjar brand name since 1981.[3] [7]

Administratively, the village was formerly the southern part of the hreppur of Ásahreppur, formed in 1892; in 1936 this was subdivided, with Þykkvibær making up Djúpárhreppur.[8] In 2002, it was consolidated into Rangárþing ytra.[9]

Many ships have run aground in the shallows off Þykkvibær, including Kamp in 1900, Sæborg in 1908, a French ship in 1912,[4] Heimaey in 1981,[10] and the German cargo ship Víkartindur in 1996.[4] [7] [11]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mannfjöldi eftir byggðakjörnum, kyni og aldri 1. janúar 2001-2021. live. 2021-04-10. Hagstofa Íslands - Talnaefni.
  2. Oddgeir Hansson and Orri Vésteinsson, Fornleifar í Rangárvallasýslu III: Aðalskráning í Djúpárhreppi, Reykjavík: Fornleifastofnun Íslands, 2001, p. 12 .
  3. https://www.south.is/en/what-to-see-do/places/history-and-culture/thykkvibaer "Þykkvibær"
  4. Vilmundur Hansen, "'Fyrirheitna Landið' á Flatneskjunni: Sögur og Sagnir úr Þykkvabæ", Morgunblaðið, 12 June 1999 .
  5. Oddgeir Hansson and Orri Vésteinsson, p. 15.
  6. https://timarit.is/page/2365401#page/n8/mode/2up "Uppreisn: hins smáða byggðarlags"
  7. Gunnar Dofri Ólafsson, "Þykkvabæjarnaslið stenst tímans tönn", Morgunblaðið, 13 October 2013 .
  8. https://asahreppur.is/efni/um-sveitarf%C3%A9lagi%C3%B0 "Um sveitarfélagið"
  9. https://www.ruv.is/frett/rangarthing-ytra "Rangárþing ytra"
  10. https://timarit.is/page/2875842#page/n0/mode/2up "Tveir sjómenn eru taldir af"
  11. https://timarit.is/page/1874069#page/n3/mode/2up "'Ótrúlega vel að verki staðið miðað við aðstæður'"