Selfoss
The town’s identity centers on the Ölfusá river crossing, where Iceland’s first suspension bridge was erected in 1891, turning a remote farming area into a regional hub. Selfoss lies on the banks of that river in southern Iceland, 50 kilometres southeast of Reykjavík and straddling Route 1 between Hveragerði and Hella. With a population of about 10,420 in 2025, it serves as the administrative seat of Árborg and the largest residential centre in South Iceland.
Set roughly 11 kilometres inland from the southwestern coast, Selfoss rests beneath the shadow of Ingólfsfjall mountain, which stands west of the river. The climate follows the subpolar oceanic pattern common to the southern coast: cool summers, cold winters, and steady precipitation throughout the year, with October typically the wettest month. Nearby towns such as Eyrarbakki, Stokkseyri and Hveragerði are within easy reach, reinforcing the town’s role as a service point for the surrounding agricultural landscape.
The 1945 replacement bridge spans the Ölfusá where the original structure once fell, and beside it stands Tryggvaskáli, the oldest surviving building in Selfoss. Erected as a workers’ cabin for the bridge project, the timber house later housed travellers, a school, a telephone exchange and a bank before closing in 1974. The bridge’s strategic importance attracted British troops during World War II, and the early 20th‑century establishment of the dairy firm Mjólkurbú Flóamanna and the general store Kaupfélag Árnesinga anchored the town’s economy for decades.
Today, Tryggvaskáli remains a concrete reminder that a single river crossing sparked the growth of Selfoss into the commercial heart of South Iceland.
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