Glaumbær and the turf house tradition
Turf construction was the dominant building method in Iceland for centuries, shaped largely by necessity. Timber was scarce and expensive, but turf was abundant and provided effective insulation against the cold. Walls were built from carefully cut blocks of grass and earth laid in specific patterns, with driftwood and imported timber used for framing and interior panelling. A well-maintained turf house could stand for generations, though the walls required regular attention and the roof needed reseeding as the grass grew and weathered.
Glaumbær is a corridor-style farmhouse of the largest type, consisting of 13 interconnected buildings covering around 730 square metres. Six front-facing buildings open directly onto the farmyard; nine rear buildings are connected by an interior passageway that runs through the entire complex. At the far end of this passageway lies the baðstofa, the communal living and sleeping room that served as the social centre of the household through the long winter months. Other rooms include a kitchen, pantry, storerooms, guestrooms, and a smithy. The newest structures date from 1879, while the kitchen and pantry go back to the mid-18th century.
Two timber houses from the late 19th century stand near the farmhouse: Gilsstofa, a reception house from 1849, and Áshús, built between 1883 and 1886, which now houses a small tearoom and exhibition space. Both were relocated to the Glaumbær site in the 1990s and represent the building style that gradually replaced turf construction as Iceland modernised.
The farm was last lived in by a farming family in 1947, after which it was declared a protected site. It is now part of Skagafjörður Heritage Museum and is listed as part of the National Museum of Iceland's Historic Building Collection.
Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir and Snorri Þorfinnsson
The farm site has roots in the 11th century. According to the Icelandic sagas, Snorri Þorfinnsson -- son of the explorer Þorfinnur Karlsefni and Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir -- farmed at Glaumbær after returning from North America, and built the first church on the site. A church dated to around 1030 has been excavated by archaeologists on the property.
Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir is one of the most widely travelled figures in medieval Icelandic history. Born on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in western Iceland around 980 AD, she emigrated to Greenland, sailed to North America with Þorfinnur on a voyage of settlement, and later made a pilgrimage on foot to Rome. Her son Snorri is described in the sagas as the first child of European parents born in the New World. After Þorfinnur died, Snorri took over the farm at Glaumbær. Guðríður is said to have returned from Rome and lived her final years at Glaumbær as an anchoress.
A statue of Guðríður carrying Snorri, made by sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson in 1938, stands in the churchyard beside Glaumbær Church. Copies of the same statue stand at Laugarbrekka on Snæfellsnes, where Guðríður was born, and in Ottawa.
Visiting Glaumbær
The museum is open daily from late May to late September. Reduced hours apply in April, early May, and October, and the museum is generally closed from late October to March, though visits can be arranged by contacting the museum in advance. A café operates from Áshús during the summer season.
Glaumbær lies just off Route 75, a seven-minute drive from Varmahlíð on the Ring Road. From Reykjavík, the drive north takes around four hours; from Akureyri, it is approximately one hour west. Parking is free.
