I & I - 2011, Page 12

12 I&I
iceLAnd’s nAtionAL Hero turns 200
Life was harsh in Iceland in the 19th century. It was particu-
larly hard in the Westfjords, where the people endured harsh
weather, epidemics, and were often surrounded by icebergs
in winter. However, the fjords were also close to the best fishing
grounds in Iceland, with many men both farmers and fishermen.
Crews went out on small open boats for days at a time to hunt the
valuable sharks, a huge fish caught for its precious liver.
But even though living conditions were hard, many of the best
educated Icelanders came from this part of the country. One of
them was born 17 June 1811 at Hrafnseyri by Arnarfjördur. Jón Sig-
urdsson was a man that was at the right place at the right time in
Icelandic history.
In the 19th century young Icelandic men had to go to Copenha-
gen for university studies. Some of them came back to be priests
or sheriffs, others were introduced to the sweet life of Bacchus and
never reached their full potential. A few settled in Copenhagen,
mostly to work for the danish government.
In the 1840s the danish king thought it would be appropriate for
the Icelandic nation, then part of the danish kingdom, to resurrect
Althingi, Iceland’s old parliament. In the first session in 1845 Jón
Sigurdsson was elected president of Althingi, a post he held for
most parliamentary sessions until his death in 1879.
Jón Sigurdsson had all of the qualities of a true leader. He was an
elegant man, well educated in Icelandic history and language, and
a very good writer who could argue for Icelandic rights—not only
in a sentimental, but also a logical way.
In 1851 a national convention was held in Iceland to discuss the
form of government. It soon became apparent that the represen-
tatives, guided by Jón Sigurdsson, wanted far more independence
than the danish king was willing to grant. A group of soldiers,
under the direction of the infamous Count Trampe, came to the
convention and dissolved it. Jón Sigurdsson objected to the act of
violence “against the king and the nation”. Almost all the represen-
tatives then stood up and proclaimed: “We all protest”.
It was not until 1874, a thousand years after Iceland was first set-
tled, that the country got its own constitution and Althingi could
pass laws and a national budget. Jón Sigurdsson not only fought
for independence from denmark, but also for the rights of all indi-
viduals for free enterprise, regardless of origin or nationality.
Jón Sigurdsson lived all his adult life in Copenhagen fighting for
the good of the nation. He and his wife Ingibjörg both died in de-
cember 1879 in Copenhagen. Both are buried in Reykjavík.
The University of Iceland was established in 1911, exactly 100
years after Jón Sigurdsson’s birth. In 1944 the Icelandic republic
was established on June 17, Jón Sigurdsson’s birthday.
By Benedikt Jóhannesson
• tHe jósAFAt Hinriksson museum,
a collection of maritime and handcrafted
artifacts, is located in an old warehouse, in
Neskaupsstadur. A gem.
• petrA’s stone coLLection in the
village of Stödvarfjördur, is out of this world.
• The old turf house at burstAFeLL, in
Vopnafjördur, is one of the best preserved turf
houses in the country. A great place to see
how we lived a hundred years ago.
• At Hali, a farmstead close to the Glacier
lagoon, you have tHorbergssetur
museum, where the books of writer
Thorbergur Thordarsson come alive.

Not only do Iceland’s East Fjords
have great nature to explore,
here you have interesting
museums showcasing various
aspects of Iceland’s history.
These are the top four museums
in the region:
eastern Showcase
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