History on the plane wreck in Solheimasandur as a tourist attraction?
This question is not about travelling advice, but rather about some history.
On the Solheimasandur beach in Iceland, there's an abandoned plane wreck that has been lying there since 1973. When visiting it last summer, I could tell by the names & dates carved into it that very few people visited this plane before 2010-ish.
I am wondering though: is this correct? Does anybody know when tourists started to be aware of this plane wreck's existence?
For the record: the plane was featured in Sigur Rós' movie called "Heima", released in 2007. Many people talking about the plane these days say that they first saw it in that movie. Again though, I'm not sure if that movie is what spurred tourists to go there.
Best Answer
Massively was around the date of the movie I would be guessing, but it does help the fact that the tourism departments of the area DO have a whole paragraph talking about it as an attraction... One full paragraph out of 4 for the entire beach so yeah, I would say they pushed for mass tourism on that plane...
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Why did the plane crash in Iceland?
In 1973 a United States Navy DC plane ran out of fuel and crashed on the black beach at S\xf3lheimasandur, in the South Coast of Iceland. Fortunately, everyone in that plane survived. Later it turned out that the pilot had simply switched over to the wrong fuel tank.What is the Sólheimasandur landmark?
The famous S\xf3lheimasandur plane crash is one of the most impressive landmarks that I've visited in Iceland. On 21st November 1973, a United States Navy Douglas DC-3 plane ran out of fuel and crashed at S\xf3lheimasandur. While the whole crew survived, the wreckage of the plane remains on the black beach.Where is the abandoned airplane in Iceland?
The S\xf3lheimasandur airplane wreckage is located on Iceland's Southern coast between Sk\xf3gafoss waterfall and the town of Vik. After driving past Sk\xf3gafoss going East on Route 1, you'll cross a bridge with blinking yellow lights and a dirt access road to S\xf3lheimaj\xf6kull Glacier on the left.How long is the walk to Solheimasandur plane wreck?
The hike (or walk) to the plane wreck in Iceland is 7 km (4.3 miles) round trip. Since we both run, the distance did not sound too bad. However, it felt like it took forever, especially on the way to the airplane. In the end, it took us about 35 minutes to hike out and about 40 minutes to hike back without rushing.Plane Wreck on an Iceland Beach
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Images: Chris B, Spencer Davis, Rachel Claire, Pixabay