Iceland review - 2014, Síða 31

ICELAND REVIEW 29
most standing turf farms bears witness
to the last epoch of a long develop-
ment. Different types of turf farm
arrangements have been recognized
and they are, to a certain extent, rep-
resentative of different regions. For
example, the large north icelandic
turf farms are of the same type. The
arrangement of houses is similar from
one farm to the next, even though the
number of houses varies. What char-
acterizes the north icelandic turf farms is that the front
houses all have their entrances facing the farmyard, a
type known as burstabær. The back houses lie at right-
angles to the tunnels that lead through the farm from
the front houses.
in turf farms, materials from their closest environment
are used for the construction: turf, rocks and even drift-
wood. The turf houses that have been preserved the best
in iceland have many things in common, even though
the implementation of the construction is diverse. The
diversity can to some extent be traced back to differ-
ent emphases in each region, as well as the differing
circumstances and work methods of the house builders.
ancient construction of turf farms is marked by what
materials were available. in the West Fjords, limited turf
was used, as good quality stacking rocks were widely at
hand. Turf houses in the region were therefore almost
exclusively stacked with rocks, as can be seen in the hut
in vatnsfjörður and the farm litlibær in Skötufjörður,
which are included in the national Museum’s collec-
tion. However, good quality stacking turf could be
heritAGe
In turf farms, materials from
their closest environment are
used for the construction: turf,
rocks and even driftwood.
Bustarfell in vopnafjörður, east iceland. originally built in 1770, the farm was in use until 1966 when the national Museum of iceland took over the building.
the same family has lived at Bustarfell from 1532 until the present day.
keldur at rangárvellir,
South iceland. the old-
est part of the farm is the
oldest building in iceland,
dating back to the 12th
century, while the young-
est part was built in 1912
when the building had to
be repaired after a big
earthquake hit the region.
a window of the
farmhouse at Þverá in
laxárdalur.