Evanger Factory Ruins百科及旅行攻略

The Evanger Factory Ruins (Evangerverksmiðjan, or Rústir Evanger) are the concrete remains of one of Iceland's first herring oil and meal factories, on the eastern shore of Siglufjörður in North Iceland.

The factory was built by two Norwegian brothers, Gustav and Olav Evanger, and ran for only eight seasons before an avalanche swept down from the mountain Staðarhólshnjúkur on 12 April 1919, destroyed the plant and killed nine people.

Today the foundations stand in the grass at Staðarhóll, across the fjord from the town, and are a stop on local walks and on kayak trips around the fjord.

Key Takeaways About Evangerverksmiðjan

• Ruins of a Norwegian-built herring oil and meal factory in production from August 1911
• Destroyed by an avalanche about 1,000 m wide on 12 April 1919; nine people died
• On the east shore of Siglufjörður by the farm Ráeyri, about 3.5 km by road from the town centre
• Free, always open, unfenced; a memorial plaque marks the site
• Reached on foot, by car along the east-shore road, or by kayak from the harbour

Why visit the Evanger Factory Ruins

Siglufjörður was the centre of Iceland's herring fishery in the first half of the 20th century, and the Evanger factory is where that industrial story begins.

The Evanger brothers, from Eggesbønes in Sunnmøre, Norway, obtained land at Staðarhóll on the east side of the fjord in 1907, first for a salting station, and with Hamburg partners founded the company A/S Siglufjord Olje & Guanofabrik to run a herring oil and meal factory.

Production started in August 1911, making it one of the first plants of its kind in Iceland. The main building was a three-storey timber structure about 31 by 12.5 metres on a concrete base, powered by a 140-horsepower steam engine and fitted with conveyors, presses and electric light from a steam turbine, advanced equipment for Iceland at the time.

It could process around 500 barrels of herring a day into roughly 60 casks of oil and 100 sacks of meal, and employed 80 to 100 people in the season.

On 12 April 1919 an avalanche nearly a kilometre wide broke loose from the Staðarhólshnjúkur peaks, the mountain directly above, and ran over the factory, the houses and the jetties of the small settlement that had grown up around it.

Nine people died there; on the same day seven more died in an avalanche in Engidalur west of Siglufjörður and two in Héðinsfjörður, eighteen in all.

The brothers rebuilt on a smaller scale at Staðarhólsbakkar, a little further out along the shore, in 1922 and ran a herring salting station there for some years before their business in Iceland ended.

What remains today are the concrete foundations and wall stubs of the plant, with the fjord in front and the avalanche slope behind, and a concrete pillar carrying a memorial plaque.

The Herring Era Museum in town, about a kilometre away across the water, tells the rest of the story; its exhibits cover the boom years that followed and the collapse of the herring stock, which disappeared from the north coast in 1964 and from Icelandic waters altogether in 1968.

The ruins are also a reminder of why Siglufjörður now has avalanche defences above the town: the fjord is narrow and hemmed in by steep mountains, and avalanche danger is high in many places around it. The 1919 avalanche was the first major warning here.

How to get to the Evanger Factory Ruins

Siglufjörður is at the northern tip of the Tröllaskagi peninsula, about 390 km from Reykjavík (5.5 to 6 hours' drive via Route 1 and Route 76 through Fljót and the Strákagöng tunnel) and about 75 km from Akureyri (roughly an hour and a quarter via Route 82 and the Héðinsfjörður tunnels).

All roads are paved and open year round, though Route 76 and the tunnels can close briefly in winter storms.

The ruins are on the eastern shore of the fjord beside the farm Ráeyri. From the town centre, follow the main road south along the fjord, round the head of the fjord past the small airfield, and then north along the east shore on the farm road to Ráeyri.

The site is about 3.5 km from the centre by this route, a 40 to 50 minute walk or a few minutes' drive, and about 1 km southeast of the Herring Era Museum as the crow flies. Park on the verge and walk the short distance over the grass to the foundations. No 4x4 is needed.

Kayak tours from the harbour cross the fjord to the ruins and the old shipwrecks on the eastern shore, which is the quietest way to approach them.

Best time to visit

June to September, when the ground is dry, the grass is short enough to see the foundations clearly, and the fjord is calm enough for kayaking.

Siglufjörður's folk music festival is held in early July and the Herring Era festival (Síldarævintýrið) over the first weekend of August.

In winter the ruins are often under snow, and the slope above them is avalanche terrain, so avoid the site in heavy snow or thaw.

Safety and practical tips

• The ruins are unfenced concrete with uneven, broken edges. Watch your footing and keep children close.
• The site is free and always open. There are no facilities; toilets, cafés and shops are in town.
• Do not climb on the walls or remove anything. This is a historic site.
• In winter and spring, remember that the avalanche that destroyed the factory came from the slope directly above. Do not visit during or after heavy snowfall.
• Wear waterproof shoes; the ground between the road and the ruins is often wet.
• Combine the visit with the Herring Era Museum, which gives the context the plaque only hints at.