cross - Grundafjordur, Iceland
Posted by: 
PetjeOp
N 64° 55.391 W 023° 18.559
27W E 390806 N 7201886
Keltic cross is a gift from Paimpol (city in France) to Grudafjordur in Iceland. The cross is in remembrance of French sailors that drowned in the Icelandic waters at Grundafjordur.
Waymark Code: WM1BVEJ
Location: Iceland
Date Posted: 04/09/2025
Views: 0
"Paimpol krossinn
Árið 2006 var reist minnismerki til minningar um franska sjómenn sem létust við fiskveiðar við strendur Íslands hér fyrr á öldum. Verkið er keltneskur kross sem settur var upp á Grundarkampi, austan þéttbýlisins, þar sem franskir sjómenn höfðu bækistöðvar um miðja 19. öld. Krossinn var gjöf frá vinum okkar í Paimpol á Bretaníuskaga í Frakklandi. Íslandsbærinn Paimpol er vinabær Grundarfjarðar, enda var sótt þaðan á íslensk fiskimið, m.a. við Grundarfjörð."
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Eng
"Paimpol Cross
In 2006, a monument was erected in memory of French sailors who died fishing off the coast of Iceland in earlier centuries. The work is a Celtic cross that was installed at Grundarkampi, east of the town, where French sailors had bases in the mid-19th century. The cross was a gift from our friends in Paimpol on the Brittany peninsula in France. The Icelandic town of Paimpol is a sister town of Grundarfjörður, as it was taken from there to Icelandic fishing grounds, including those at Grundarfjörður."
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A visit from France with a gift.
Grundarfjörður and Paimpol in Brittany in northwest France have strong historical connections. Between 1852 and 1935, French sailors from Paimpol and the surrounding region sailed to Iceland to catch cod.
The connection between the two towns was sealed in a formal friendship and Grundarfjörður has been twinned with the French town Paimpol since 2004.
The GrundaPol Association regularly organizes meetings between the inhabitants of Paimpol and Grundarfjörður. Exchanges take place in various ways such as visits from school pupils, trips of members to each country, art and cultural events.
It is estimated that around 2000 French sailors from the area of Paimpol have drowned in Icelandic waters. In 2006, a monument to commemorate the French sailors who died in Icelandic waters was erected at Grundarkampi, the ancient Grundarfjörður trade site. The stone cross, a gift from Paimpol, was set up at the old location of the church that French sailors set up in the 19th century. This church was demolished when they left the country.
(On this site you can find pictures of the cross being shiped from france to iceland.)
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