Hjaltadalur


Hjaltadalur is a valley on the east side of Skagafjörður, Iceland that was previously a part of Hólahreppur. The majority of the valley is surrounded by 1,000–2,000-meter-tall mountains, and it intersects with various remote valleys. Hjaltadalsá river runs through the valley, originating at Hjaltadalsjökull glacier located at the head of Hjaltadalur. Several tributaries and streams flow into Hjaltadalsá.
Hjaltadalur is named after the settler Hjalti Þórðarson skálps. The Landnámabók states, "Hjalti, the son of Þórður skálpur came to Iceland and settled Hjaltadalur upon the advice of Kolbeinn and he lived at Hof; his sons were Þorvaldur and Þórður, both great men."
The bishop's residence, and later the school, in Hólar í Hjaltadal is in the middle of the valley and leaves quite an impression. The mountain overlooking Hólar is called Hólabyrða and is 1,244 meters tall. The valley's innermost town is Reykir. The area produces geothermal energy and there is an old warm water spring named Biskupslaug. The spring, however, has been filled in.

Old Thoroughfares out of Hjaltadalur

Travelers frequently passed through Hólar í Hjaltadal because it was the center of the church's power and of education in Iceland's northern region. Some of the main routes were:

Towns in Hjaltadalur

There are a good many towns in Hjaltadalur. In later years, a small village was formed in Hólar around Hólar University.
On the east side of the valley are:
On the west side of the valley are:
  • Reykir in Hjaltadalur
  • Hvammur in Hjaltadalur
  • Hrafnhóll
  • Hlíð in Hjaltadalur, previously Hrappsstaðir
  • Kálfsstaðir
  • Kjarvalsstaðir in Hjaltadalur
  • Nautabú in Hjaltadalur
  • Ingveldarstaðir in Hjaltadalur
  • Skúfsstaðir
  • Garðakot in Hjaltadalur, previously Garðar
All these towns were located in Hólahreppur, but the following towns in Viðvíkursveit can be considered part of Hjaltadalur because of the topography: