Finally visitors to Heimaey will be able to see and walk into one of the badly damaged buildings from the 1973 volcanic eruption on Heimaey island. PIC Wolf-Ulf Wulfrolf
Roughly forty years ago a volcanic eruption on the small island of Heimaey, one of the Westman Islands group, woke the inhabitants up with a jolt in the middle of the night. A large evacuation got everyone off the island in record time while red-hot lava flowed slowly but surely towards town. Not one person died or got seriously injured which is a stunning achievement.
However, a big part of the town got run over by lava before the flow suddenly stopped one day after crushing numerous buildings. Until now it has been all but impossible to witness the real destruction apart from the movies as few things in the town today bears witness to the tragedy.
However, this has now changed. One building, badly ruined and in terrible state, has been cleared of rocks as possible and now men are working to make the small house, or what´s left of it, safe to enter. This is due to a special festival commemorating the volcanic event. An event that takes place the first weekend of July and at that time and after visitors to the island can walk into a real house filled with stuff exactly as it was over 40 years ago when the owners ran away in the middle of the night leaving everything. It is a sight to behold.
Also interesting for those curious to know more is the Eldheimar remembrance museum. This is an interactive museum about the troubles caused by the sudden volcano on the small fishing town of Heimaey in 1973. At the museum you can also gather much information about another remarkable tiny island not far from Heimaey. Surtsey appeared from the ocean a few decades back and has been a playground for scientists ever since. Access to that island is extremely limited to chosen scientists.
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