In 1935, the Djupavik factory in the Westfjords region of Iceland was considered the flagship of the fishing industry. After 20 years of operation, it was forced to shut down: the herring had disappeared. As part of a Creative Europe project, Haizebegi partnered with the University of the Westfjords and the Albaola shipbuilding workshops (Gipuzkoa) to transform this factory into an art center featuring a Basque Cultural Center dedicated to documenting the history of Basque whaling in the North Atlantic—and specifically in the Westfjords—since the 9th century. Today, this center brings together biologists (University of Iceland) and anthropologists from the CNRS within a framework of cooperation.
The former herring factory features a historical exhibition on the era of herring processing. Another part of the factory is used for art exhibitions. The Basque Center, “Baskasetur,” is housed in the cylindrical buildings.
The Basque Center in Djúpavík
The first event bringing together the partners of the Bakasetur project took place in August 2023.
The partners
The Basque Center project was initiated by four partners:
The Icelandic Basque Association
Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria
The Haizebegi Association
The University Center of the West Fjords
Four associate partners are participating in the project:
The Municipality of Árneshreppur
The Djupavik Hotel
The Icelandic Museum of Witchcraft
The University of Iceland Research Center in Strandir — The Folklore Institution in Holmavik
View the document detailing the history of the Basque presence in Iceland:
