About

Laufás is a historic turf farmstead located approximately 20 km north of Akureyri along Route 83 on the eastern shore of Eyjafjörður. The site has been continuously inhabited since the 11th century, though the current buildings date primarily from 1866. The farmstead consists of multiple interconnected turf buildings with grass-covered roofs, arranged in a traditional baðstofa layout. The structures include living quarters, storage rooms, kitchen, cow barn, and a small chapel. The buildings are constructed using timber frames, stone foundations, and thick turf walls providing excellent insulation. Inside, the museum displays period furniture, farming tools, household items, and textiles showing daily life on an Icelandic farm in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Each room recreates a specific function from the working farm. The farm was inhabited until 1948, when it was donated to the Icelandic state and converted into a museum. It is now managed by Akureyri Museum and is open to visitors during summer months. Adjacent to the turf buildings is Laufáskirkja, a timber church built in 1865 featuring a beautifully painted interior and historic church artifacts.

📖 Story

Laufás has been a farm site since at least 1047, when it was owned by Þorvarður Tjörv, one of Iceland's early bishops. For nearly 900 years, people lived here in turf houses — dark, low-ceilinged buildings that provided shelter from Iceland's brutal winters. The current structures date from the 1860s and were inhabited until the 1940s. Walking through Laufás today means stooping through narrow passages between rooms where entire families once slept, worked and survived the long northern winters. Iceland's National Museum now preserves it as one of the finest turf farm museums in the country.

Key Facts