The Official Tourist Guide - East Iceland

Gunnarsson (1889 – 1975) bought Skriðuklaustur
in 1939 and built a large house there designed
by the German architect Fritz Höger. The writer
moved to Reykjavík in 1948 and donated
Skriðuklaustur to the Icelandic nation. In 2000
the Institude of Gunnar Gunnarsson resumed
operation in Skriduklaustur as a cultural research
centre. In the summertime Skriðuklaustur
comes alive with various exhibitions and cultural
happenings and guided tours for visitors around
the writer’s house and the archeological site.
⌘ Þórarinsstaðir in Seyðisfjörður. A few years
ago an archeological excavation was done at
Þórarinsstaðir where the remains of a stave
church from the first years of Christianity in
Iceland was discovered, along with numerous
graves and interesting artefacts. It is ideal to
stop at this important historical site and try to
imagine the ways of life of people living there one
thousand years ago.
⌘ Sómastaðir is a small stonehouse from the
late 19th century, built of carved stones from the
surroundings and plastered together with glacier
clay. It is the only surviving example of this building
technique in Iceland. The house is a part of the
National Museum’s Historic Building Collection,
but is supervised by museums in Fjarðabyggð and
the East Iceland Heritage Museum.
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