Overview
About Egilsstaðir
A twentieth-century foundation
Egilsstaðahreppur was created by legislation in May 1947, taking effect on 1 July that year. The new municipality combined land from farms previously belonging to Vallahreppur and Eiðahreppur. This administrative beginning preceded formal town status, which took effect in May 1987. Egilsstaðir developed as a centre for regional trade and services rather than as an older coastal fishing port. Fellabær lies across the bridge, and the two settlements share the valley's transport connections.
A regional record of rural life
The East Iceland Heritage Museum collects material from the wider region. Its exhibition on the traditional farm examines how households supplied food, clothing, tools and shelter, bringing everyday objects into their working context. A preserved baðstofa, the communal living and sleeping room, comes from Brekka in Hróarstunga. Another exhibition considers East Iceland's reindeer through natural history and their relationships with people, including research, hunting, food and craft.
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