Owned by the National Museum of Iceland, Glaumbær Museum is quite different from other museums you might have visited. This turf-roofed attraction provides you with a unique possibility to see old Icelandic architecture created years ago with materials available at the time. This preserved and protected place is open to the public so that more people can learn about Icelandic history.
The museum is situated on farmland in the Skagafjörður region, North Iceland.
Full address: 561 Glaumbær, Iceland.
It takes 300 kilometers to reach the farm from the capital’s city center and 344 kilometers from Keflavík International Airport. If you’re visiting the capital of the North of Iceland, Akureyri, then it will take you an hour by car to reach Glaumbær.
This attraction is popular for allowing visitors to see how Iceland’s people lived back in the past. Back in the day, Icelanders struggled with building supplies such as timber and thus found a great way to use turf to build homes. Even though no one lives in these turf houses any longer, they still stand and show people’s wisdom and experience in finding a way out of challenging situations.
Glaumbær Farm is known to be the home to Snorri Þorfinnsson, who lived here in the 11th century. Snorri Þorfinnsson is recognized as the first European person to be born in North America.
In the farmhouse that consists of 13 buildings, each serving a different purpose, you can find a common room where residents would eat and sleep, a kitchen and pantry, guestrooms, and storage rooms. Everything is connected by passages.
You’ll also find a few wooden houses on the museum grounds that serve as an office, a gift shop, and an exhibition hall.
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to stay in the area a while longer to explore, here are a few examples of the places you can stay nearby:
Hotels
Guesthouses
