Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, one of the most important Icelandic painters, was born and raised in Bakkagerði.

[2] On the painting Álfaborg, a famous rock close to the village, and the mountain range Dyrfjöll are clearly regognizable.

As wood has always been a very valuable and scarse material in Iceland, the church was dismantled when it was no longer needed on the farm and reconstructed in the village in 1901.

[5] Some Icelanders believe in elves: Álfaborg, a tall rock close to Bakkagerði, is said to the residence of their queen.

[6] Kirkjubaejarkirkja, built in 1851, is another wooden church in the west of Hjaltastaður with a ridge turret and a colourful pulpit dating from the 16th century.

The wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja was built 1937–39, and several of its pieces of art are exhibited in the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavík now.

Bakkagerði has a primary school with a kindergarten and a public library, a health care center (heilsugaeslustöð), a bank, a post office, a gas station and a village shop (Búðin Borgarfirði).