On 23 January 1973 a fissure nearly 2 km in length suddenly opened up less than a kilometre from the town of Heimay on the island of Vestmannaeyjar. Lava fountained over 100 metres high from the fissure. Within a day, almost the entire island was evacuated. The newly-formed Eldfell volcano erupted for another six months, covering much of Vestmannaeyjar in ash, destroying several hundred homes, and sending lava flows toward the harbour. Heroic efforts were undertaken to pump seawater onto the lava to stop it blocking the entrance to the harbour on which the islanders and their fishing fleet depended. But at the end of the eruption, the town was covered in a layer of ash two metres deep. A massive cleanup was required.
One might think that the town would not recover from such a setback, but you would be wrong. The islands are isolated, 35km off the south coast of Iceland. The resilience and determination of the islanders ensured that their community survived and once more thrives.
Visitors to the island can learn about the eruption at the Eldheimar Museum of Remembrance. The striking modern building stands at the base of Eldfell, nestled into the grassy slopes that have been laid to reduce erosion. The centerpiece of the display is the house on Gerðisbraut 10, once the home to Mrs. Gerður Sigurðardóttir and Mr. Guðni Ólafsson and their 3 children. Uncovered after over 40 years under the ash and lava, Gerðisbraut 10, has been excavated and shows how cruelly nature treated the homes of so many islanders, and gives a glimpse into the long ago lifestyle
More dramatic are the audio and visual commentary and eyewitness accounts that the visitor encounters as they walk through the building. Truly a Pompeii of the north.
One might think that the town would not recover from such a setback, but you would be wrong. The islands are isolated, 35km off the south coast of Iceland. The resilience and determination of the islanders ensured that their community survived and once more thrives.
Visitors to the island can learn about the eruption at the Eldheimar Museum of Remembrance. The striking modern building stands at the base of Eldfell, nestled into the grassy slopes that have been laid to reduce erosion. The centerpiece of the display is the house on Gerðisbraut 10, once the home to Mrs. Gerður Sigurðardóttir and Mr. Guðni Ólafsson and their 3 children. Uncovered after over 40 years under the ash and lava, Gerðisbraut 10, has been excavated and shows how cruelly nature treated the homes of so many islanders, and gives a glimpse into the long ago lifestyle
More dramatic are the audio and visual commentary and eyewitness accounts that the visitor encounters as they walk through the building. Truly a Pompeii of the north.