Live webcam broadcasts a view of the harbor in the city of Heimaey (Iceland).
Panoramic view covers a wide angle view of the port and adjacent volcanoes. Picturesque views will not leave indifferent those who are limited in travel opportunities. The broadcast is transmitted in real time.
The name of the city of Heimaey, whose webcams can be viewed online on this site, is translated as "home island".
It is located very close to the Icelandic coast and is the largest island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. It is noteworthy that the island and the city of the same name are the only settlements. To date, the total number of local residents exceeds 4.5 thousand people.
According to legend, the first inhabitant who settled in Heimaey was a certain Herjulf Bordsson. He built his farm here and gradually the land began to be developed.
A dark page in the history of the island is the attack of pirates who arrived from the Barbary coast, controlled by the Turks. The robbers attacked several Icelandic cities at once. Among them were Grindavik and Heimaei. And if the inhabitants of the first were able to escape into the lava fields and hide there for a long time, then the townspeople on Heimaey suffered greatly. There are a large number of stories about heroes who fought against the conquerors. In particular, there is a story about the girl Tyrkya-Gudda, who was taken away by pirates to the slave market of Algeria. The girl miraculously managed to escape to her homeland through Tunisia, Italy and Denmark, under the crown of which Iceland was at that time. When she got home, she happily married Hallgrimur Petursson, an outstanding poet, after whom a Lutheran church was named in neighboring Reykjavik.
Another dark page in Heimaey's history was the massive eruption of Eldfell, one of the island's two largest peaks.
It happened at night. The first streams of lava and ash poured into the sea, and the earth was covered with deep cracks, reaching almost 2 km in length. But after the wind changed, the city was covered with tons of ash and flows of molten lava poured into the bay to the port, where cargo worth millions of dollars was stored. Almost all the inhabitants of the city were evacuated overnight. To save the bay from imminent destruction, it was decided to cool the lava with sea water. Fortunately, people managed to defend the bay in an unequal battle with the elements. However, half of the city was practically wiped off the face of the earth. It is also noteworthy that after solidification, the lava increased the territory of the island by more than 2 km2.
Today, as before, the islanders are engaged in the extraction and processing of fish, as well as the tourism business. Many travelers visit Heimaey to admire the local beauties, as well as to attend the big fishing festival.
If a trip to Iceland is not yet possible, Heimaey's webcams will allow you to enjoy views of distant lands in real time.