Húsavik in 1836

From a lithograph by Auguste Mayer (1805-1890). Mayer was a member of an expedition to Iceland and Greenland equipped by the French government. The lithograph was first published in Atlas Historique in 1842.

Húsavik after 1907

Húsavík is the oldest extant place name in Iceland. The first man to stay there was the Swede Garðar Svavarsson, who called Iceland Garðarshólmi, Gardars Islet. After he found Iceland he build a house for the winter at Húsavík (Húsavík means the "Bay of houses"). The church was built in 1907. The town had grown since 1836, but was still a small local supply port.

Halfdan Helgason - Reykjavík - Iceland