Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags

						150                                                                            ARBOK FORNLEIFAFELAGSINS

these is Laugarnes, a site which was probably first occupied in the Settlement period and

where the remains of a large farm mound are still visible. The site also contains a church

ruin and a graveyard abandoned in 1791 which are on the Protected Monuments Reg-

ister. It is known that beside the main farm there were three or four dependent farms in

Laugarnes at the beginning of the 18th century. Later the Bishop of Iceland had his res-

idence in Laugarnes (1826-1856) and in 1898 a leper hospital was erected there. Both

structures have since disappeared, but there is reason to believe that their remains are

partially preserved. During World War II a military camp was set up in Laugarnes. The

museum of sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson which now stands in Laugarnes was built on the

site of one of its baracks. Laugarnes is on the Icelandic Nature Conservation Register

and its shores are protected. The author discusses the importance of preserving Laugarnes

as a whole, the farm mound, church and graveyard, the remains of the dependent farms

and the old infields as well as its natural environment.