Seltjarnarnes is a Township in Southwest Constituency, Capital Region, Iceland. Seltjarnarnes is beside Reykjavik. It took on its current political form shortly after the Second World War and was formally created as a township in 1947. It is the smallest Icelandic township by land.
Seltjarnarnes, 5km west of central Reykjavík, is a coastal area that feels a world away. The offshore island of Grótta boasts a red-and-white lighthouse and is a haven for birdwatching, with 106 visiting species. It is accessible at low tide, but is closed May to mid-July to protect nests. Get here along the pretty coastal path, popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists.
Waves rush in to the lava-strewn beach, the air has that salt-sea tang, fish-drying racks sit by the shore and Arctic terns scream overhead. There are also super views across the fjord to Mt Esja (909m).
Overview
There are two schools in Seltjarnarnes, Mýrarhúsaskóli and Valhúsaskóli.
The Independence Party has had an overall control in the town's council since proper elections started in 1962. Icelandic first lady Guðrún Katrín Þorbergsdóttir held a position in the city council for 16 years. In the last elections in 2014, the party received 52,6% of the votes and 4 out of 7 members of the council. Other parties represented in the town council are Samfylkingin with 2 members and Neslistinn with one member. The mayor is Ásgerður Halldórsdóttir.
Seltjarnarnes became the world's first town where every citizen had access to fiber optics in 2007.
The legend of the Celtic settlement
In the 1980s several circular structures that are visible from the sky were discovered in Seltjarnarnes and once they were classified as archaeological remains, several experts quickly concluded that they belonged to the Viking era, but more recent studies and analysis tend to see them as Celtic remains since there is evidence that confirms the resemblance of these structures to the Irish way to build walls during the Middle Ages. If the structures, known as rings, are Celtic, it could be the proof of a longer settlement of Celtic people than the History has traditionally accepted. However, little research has been done in this regard.
