[1] It obtained the rights and privileges of an official trading place (verslunastaður) as early as 1786 und was awarded municipal status (kaupstðurréttindi) on 10 April 1974.

In 1802 Kjartan Þórlaksson, the first Icelandic merchant who was not a Dane, settled down in Eskifjörður and started a successful business.

[5] A sculpture by Ragnar Kjartansson is located along the main road in Eskifjördur, commemorating the mariners who drowned at sea.

[6] The Maritime Museum of East Iceland is located in a commercial building, "Gamla búđ", which was built in 1816.

The museum displays artefacts that illustrate the fishing and seafaring history of East Iceland.