Glaumbaer – a Taste of Life in 18th Century Iceland

Glaumbaer is a restored farmhouse and wood buildings depicting 18th and 19th century life in Iceland. The structures serve as a museum and are located in Skagafjordur in northern Iceland.

Timber structures typical of 19th-century Iceland

The farm’s turf buildings date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Their distinctive feature is the specific style of construction used on the island until 1900. The buildings in Glaumbær consist of thin layers of wood separated from each other and insulated by thick walls of turf and covered with a thick layer of the same material. In subsequent years, the turf was regularly replaced with reinforced concrete – typical of most modern Icelandic structures. The reason for this was primarily a shortage of large trees.

Inhabited until 1947, Glaumbaer was opened to the public in 1952. It is the first open-air museum of its kind on the island, now under the auspices of the National Museum of Iceland.

Guest rooms, kitchen and… relaxation area

Building large, spacious turf buildings is not easy. That’s why Icelandic 19th-century farms are complexes of small, separate buildings.

Plan of Glaumbaer open-air museum.
source: glaumbaer.is

The corridor is about 21 meters long and provides access to 9 of the farm’s 13 rooms. Two pairs of doors located along the corridor eliminate cold penetration into the living quarters.

Gilsstofa and Áshús

The museum also features two wooden houses – the gray Gilsstofa and the yellow Áshús.

Gilsstofa is a reconstruction of an 1849 house. Inside is a museum, information center and gift store.

Áshús was built between 1884 and 1886, and its style is based on traditional Icelandic turf-covered houses. Áshús is home to art exhibitions and the Áskaffi teahouse.

Glaumbaer – tips and practical information

The farm provides the backdrop for exhibitions that focus on the agricultural life of Icelanders in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The oldest parts of the turf date back to the mid-18th century, while the newest additions were added between 1876 and 1879.

About 150 meters away, the ruins of a Viking-era single-building homestead (longhouse) and several other buildings dating from the 10th to 11th centuries were discovered.

For up-to-date information, contact, etc., visit the museum’s website: https://www.glaumbaer.is/is/information.

The Áskaffi Café

The café in the Áshús building gives museum visitors the opportunity to taste and enjoy refreshments in the style of mothers and grandmothers. It serves desserts, snacks and drinks.

The teahouse is open daily from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm (until 6:00 pm in summer).

Opening hours

You can visit Glaumbaer:
– May 20 to September 20 – daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm;
– September 21 to October 31 – daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.;
– November 1 to December 31 – Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.;
– from February 1 to March 31 – Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.;
– from April 1 to May 19 – daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ticket prices

Pricing:
– adults (18+): 1700 ISK – approx. $12;
– children and teenagers – (0-17): free of charge;
– groups (6+), students and seniors: 1500 ISK per person – about $11;

How to get to Glaumbaer

The Glaumbaer farm and museum is located on Road 75, in the less interesting central-northern part of the island, about 7 km north of the junction with Road 1.

If you’re driving along Route 1 and stop by the well-known church Vidimyrarkirkja – historic turf-covered church, it’s worth driving up here as well to see more of this kind of traditional architecture.

Alternatively, you can see similar, though perhaps slightly less “swanky” buildings (but also more and more diverse) at the Reykjavik Arbaer open-air museum – see its description in the article Reykjavik museums