The Beautiful Laufás Turf House in Eyjafjörður in North-Iceland
Laufás turf house in Eyjafjörður is a must-visit while travelling in North-Iceland. I love these old turf houses, they are so typical Icelandic in my opinion.
My grandmother was born in a turf house, so it is not so long ago that turf houses were inhabited here in Iceland. Times have changed, for sure.
Laufás Turf House in Eyjafjörður in North-Iceland
On my travels around my country, I search for turf houses and have written a long travel-blog about the turf houses I have visited for the past years: A List of the beautiful Icelandic Turf Houses, which I have visited on my travels in Iceland.
Laufás turf house now belongs to the National Museum of Iceland and is run by the Akureyri Museum. Laufás is bigger than the normal turf houses though as it was a manor and a wealthy vicarage.
Inside Laufás turf house
Up to 20-30 people were living here at Laufás, including domestics. The furnishing inside is from around 1900 and shows how Icelanders were living at that time.
I had a look inside and was amazed at how many rooms and much space there was inside Laufás turf house. We walked through several corridors with many rooms leading from them.
I recommend that you have a look inside. Tickets can be bought in the white house by the parking lot, which was the vicarage and is now a Visitor Centre.
Inside Laufás turf house
Laufás was a wealthy farm by Icelandic standards. The last minister lived at Laufás until 1936 when he moved into a newer vicarage.
Laufás is not mentioned in Landnáma - the Book of Settlements of Iceland, but it is mentioned in 2 of our Icelandic Sagas.
It was rebuilt in 1866-1870 when Rev. Björn Halldórsson resided at Laufás, but the oldest remaining part of the house dates back to 1840.
Laufás Turf House in Eyjafjörður
The first time I visited Laufás a tourist had stopped his car in the middle of the road above Laufás, and ran out and took photos left and right. What he didn't know was that if he had driven just a short distance ahead there he would find a car park and the entrance to Laufás.
I guess he was just so excited about seeing such old turf houses from the road :) I can relate, as I am always excited when I see turf houses ;)
Laufáskirkja church
There has been a church at Laufás since early Christianity in Iceland. The present church at Laufás was built in 1865 and was dedicated to the Apostle Paul in Catholicism.
In the church, you will see a very decorative pulpit from 1698. And I love the christening font, it was all lit up in the sunlight when I visited the church, ever so lovely.
The baptismal font in Laufáskirkja church
The church was open and I went inside to have a look around. Usually, Iceland's churches are closed due to vandalism :( I visit every church I see on my travels in my country as I am very interested in these little gems.
Laufás is open in the summer months from 10:00-17:00. This is my travel-blog about Laufás, but I refer to the webpage of Laufás for much more information.
At Laufás turf house
Laufás is close to the village Grenivík on road 83, 30 km away from Akureyri.
This is my last travel-blog in the Eyjafjörður series of travel-blog. It is by all means not a complete guide to Eyjafjörður, only a few places I find very interesting to visit in this longest fjord of North-Iceland.
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part I
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part II
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part III
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part IV
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part V
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part VI
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part VII
Eyjafjörður fjord up North - part VIII
Laufás is located at 65° 53,639'N, 18° 4,344'W
Have a lovely time in Eyjafjörður :)
Other interesting blogs
Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland
Iceland is spectacular in so many ways and Icelandic nature is quite unique with its vast landscape, volcanic activity, geothermal areas, glacier lagoons and sceneries, black sand beaches and spectRead moreSænautasel Turf House in the Highland of Iceland
In my search for turf houses around Iceland, I visited Sænautasel, which is a rebuilt turf house on Jökuldalsheiði heath in the highland of Iceland. It is, in my opinion, an extremely cute turf hoRead moreThe Dynamic Plant Lupine
People have been asking me where to find lupines in Iceland. If you like them you should be able to find them easily in Iceland in summer. They are in bloom and visible almost wherever you drive aroRead more
Download Iceland’s biggest travel marketplace to your phone to manage your entire trip in one place
Scan this QR code with your phone camera and press the link that appears to add Iceland’s biggest travel marketplace into your pocket. Enter your phone number or email address to receive an SMS or email with the download link.