Historic Farmstead · South Iceland, Iceland
Hof í Öræfum
Hof í Öræfum is a cluster of farms in southeast Iceland beside Route 1, home to a turf church built in 1883 — the youngest turf church in the country.
Photo: Andrés Nieto Porras from Palma de Mallorca, España · CC BY-SA 2.0
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Overview
The site today centers on Hofskirkja, a small wood-and-turf church that has belonged to the National Museum of Iceland since 1951, standing alongside its historic churchyard near the base of Öræfajökull volcano.
History
Hof is a cluster of farms in the Öræfi district, close to the Vatnajökull glacier and about 22 kilometres south of Skaftafell. Its turf church, built in 1883, is recorded as the youngest turf church in Iceland, and the building passed into the care of the National Museum of Iceland in 1951.
What Remains Today
The turf-and-wood church building and its adjoining cemetery remain intact and are maintained as a museum property; photographs of the site show the church's characteristic sod roof and walls alongside the surrounding graveyard.
Visiting & Preservation
Access
Hof sits directly beside Route 1 (the Ring Road) in southeast Iceland, near Vatnajökull National Park, and its church has been a National Museum of Iceland property since 1951. Public access to this site has not been independently verified. Do not assume a trail, parking, or landowner permission exists.
Preservation Notice
No formal archaeological protection status is recorded for this site in the dataset used, though the church building itself has been a National Museum of Iceland property since 1951.
Location
Why Visit
It is the youngest of Iceland's surviving turf churches, and as a National Museum of Iceland property since 1951, it is one of the better-documented turf-church buildings in the country.
Did You Know?
Despite its centuries-old appearance, Hofskirkja was built as recently as 1883, making it the youngest turf church still standing in Iceland.
