Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1996, Side 146

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ÁRBÓK FORNLEIFAFÉLAGSINS
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 farrns 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 Siguijón 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.