Stöng Viking-era Longhouse is a reconstructed farmhouse from the end of the Nordic era. The original buildings were buried in volcanic ash in 1104 after the eruption of the Hekla volcano.
Based on the excavations of the Stöng farm (literal: field), a farm and skanksen Thjodveldisbaer (Þjóðveldisbær, English: Commonwealth farm) were built not far away in 1974-77.
Located in the Þjórsárdalur valley in Árnessýsla County, it faithfully approximates the culture and living conditions of the time of the first settlers.
Stong Viking-era Longhouse – tips and practical information
- Tours of the ruins are free. At the site, you can see the stone outline of the building, its central fireplace and a common toilet (with fresh water flowing).
- To protect the excavated parts of the buildings from further destruction, they have been placed under a modern canopy.
- The 327 road leading to the Viking-era Long house is gravel. Driving it therefore requires a suitable car, and in winter the road can be impassable.
- When you get there, park at the toilets and cross the footbridge over the river, following the path uphill.
- Following the path upstream from Stöng, you will reach Gjain, a beautiful gorge with lush vegetation, small waterfalls and interesting rock features. The walk takes about 20-30 minutes.
Thjodveldisbaer – tips and practical information
- The open-air museum presents a farm building and a chapel.
- The facility is open to the public from the beginning of June until the end of August.
- The museum is open to the public from the beginning of June until the end of August.
- Access for people under 16 is free, for the elderly it costs 1,000 ISK (about $30).
- The museum is open to the public.
- The buildings are covered in the traditional way – with turf, i.e. a layer of luscious green, living grass.
- The reconstruction of the site is being carried out by Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, the Icelandic National Museum, and Landsvirkjun, a company that produces and distributes electricity in Iceland.
- For more information, visit the museum’s website: http://www.thjodveldisbaer.is/en
How to get to Stong and Thjodveldisbaer
Both the Stong ruins and the Thjodveldisbaer open-air museum are located in the Thjorsardalur (Þjórsárdalur) valley, at the northeastern end of Highway 32. You can get there from the Golden Circle (Fludir, Selfoss) or from the interior, with the F26 road from the mountain center of Hrauneyjar.
To reach Stöng Viking-era Longhouse, one must take the smaller road 327 north.
The access road to the Thjodveldisbaerinn farm diverges from road 32 south almost at the same place where the western end of road 327 diverges north from it.
