Exploring the Tröllaskagi peninsula and Hólar in Hjaltadalur
The autumn sunshine shone upon the GRÓ-FTP fellows as they drove around the Tröllaskagi Peninsula (the Troll’s Peninsula) following a snaking route between the mountains and sea with a steady supply of amazing scenery. The first stop was Siglufjörður, Iceland’s northernmost town and a historic fishing town which has always been linked to the ebb and flow of the fishing industry. Only a tiny shark fishing village in 1900, Siglufjörður soon became one of the largest towns in Iceland and the undisputed capital of herring fishing in the Atlantic. To learn about this history the fellows were guided around the Herring Era Museum which captures the ‘glory days’ of the herring industry in Siglufjörður. The group saw a series of exhibitions across three buildings highlighting the salting process performed by the ‘herring girls’, the boathouse with its amazing shipping vessel exhibits and the story of fish meal and oil processing at Grana.
Next stop was Hólar in Hjaltadalur, the home of Hólar University College which coordinates FTP´s Sustainable Aquaculture specialist line, and in addition is one of the Icelandic nation’s principal historical, cultural, and ecclesiastical sites. Skúli Skúlason, the former rector of the university, welcomed the fellows and walked them through Hólar´s rich history which has been a place of learning through the ages, and has always moved with the demands of each new era for education. The fellows were shown around the Equine studies centre where they learnt about the Icelandic horse and the Arctic Char broodstock facility which has a well-established breeding program for Arctic Char that has been ongoing for over 25 years. To see more photographs from FTP´s Siglufjörður and Hólar adventure click on the photo album below.