glaumbaer museum

A lovely look at how the Icelanders lived. There is also a very nice coffee shop next to the turf farm.

This is a wonderful example of how Icelandic people lived until not all that long ago. A collection of individual "rooms" joined together by a long dark corridor, all built of turf, with grassed roofs and earth floors. The only light came through small windows in the roofs. The main bedroom-cum-sitting room-cum-dining room, where everyone slept - the farmer and his wife together with all the servants and labourers - men and boys on one side, women and girls on the other - must have been quite cosy, and I'm sure it needed to be in the winter! A fascinating glimpse into what must have been a hard life.

We were at Glaumbaer the day before it closed for the season, and with only two or three other people there, we wandered slowly through the interconnected buildings (turf houses), appreciating the museum's low-key approach. The floors were sometimes rough and uneven, as they were for the inhabitants, and light came mainly from the few windows in each building, again just as the inhabitants would have experienced. I marveled at the kitchen and pantry, where food was preserved and stored, as well as cooked for the farmhouse residents, and the badstofa, a communal eating, handiwork, and sleeping room, imagining what it would have been like to have so little privacy. Each building had explanatory signs, and I appreciated the self-guided approach.

When first told about going to see a collection of turf houses it reminded me of a visit to Norway where I had seen houses made of mud with grass roofs.Glaumbaer, however, was different in that it gave a total overview of living conditions for an entire household built using traditional Icelandic methods. Turf was the major building material with some wood used on the exterior and internal beams and door frames. Construction of the buildings was at various stages during the last 300 years.This home was obviously not of a peasant family for there were extensive rooms and while furnished with some basic utensils, much of the furniture and furnishings indicated a middle to upper class household. The building consisted of a central hallway with rooms both sides of the passageway: there are 15 rooms. The feeling was that the home could have been damp, but, in this present situation no fires were alight and this would have made a difference. I was reminded, too, when someone raised the matter of temperature, that this would have similarity to in a cave system where the temperature range is quite small, so the family living here would have been spared from much of the outside extremes.The complex is a testament to a family’s self-sufficiency, producing crops, recycling by reusing materials, living without modern conveniences, processed or packaged goods, and, from what is seen in the rooms, providing one own’s entertainment, and managing to survive within the family.As with most settlements of the era, a small church is next door.I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to visit Glaumbaer Farm and Exhibition It is always interesting to view how people lived in the past. This was certainly a walk back into history and despite these buildings representing the living conditions of a fairly well to do family, I was definitely pleased this was not going to be my accommodation for the evening — or longer.

This turf house complex gave us a true picture of life lived long ago. This was the best turf houses we toured in Iceland.

This museum was a great stop!! You are able to walk in the turf roofed home from the late 1800s as you read from a pamphlet that describes each room. We stopped here traveling from Dalvik to Reykjavik and it was a great side stop that is not far out of the way from Route 1. Additionally we stopped at the little cafe/coffee shop for coffee, traditional pancakes, and a traditional Icelandic plate. The pancakes were delicious and the traditional Icelandic plate was fun to try including traditional Christmas bread, liver, sheep testicles, shark, horse, and beef tongue as well as a taste of a traditional Christmas malt drink. The wait service here is superb and adds to the experience of the trip. This is a great place for a snack.

So you've read about the fact that up until fairly recently Iceland was rather primitive, with most people living in sod houses. This is the place to see what they looked and felt like. It's an actual restoration of a sod house complex that was a working farm a century ago. Takes only about 30-45 minutes to tour and it is well worth it.

Beautifully preserved earthed rooms, together forming a single farmhouse. Gives an extremely detailed view on the conditions that people used to live in here. Gives you something to think about...

Once a priestly manor and home to many historical figures, it is now an excellent example of how Icelanders lived and constructed their houses and buildings.

The museum was closed when I was there but it is still a great place to visit because of the location and history.

There is about 13 separate earthen rooms/ houses all tunnel linked together . Each shows a different early settler living condition

In this farmhouse - which feels more like a cave, as it consists of about 12 rooms each a separate turf-walled and -roofed structure - you get an absolutely fascinating peek back 100-200 years into rural life in Iceland. We had been surprised by the rich agricultural nature of the dales in Iceland and this farm showed how self-reliant and skilled the farming folk were. From old-fashioned beds where they slept two together, to bone skates, sock trees and butter churns, everything from the old way of life is carefully preserved and explained to the visitor. Even the ticket seller was in costume.There's *much* more to Glaumbaer than first meets the eye. Explore and surprise yourself!

This turf house museum is extensive and was one of the highlights of our Iceland trip. Each space is filled with historical implements and design. Very interesting and highly recommended.

This is a very interesting open air museum with a large turf house from the 18th centuryGood for adults and older children to experience history.

Il museo è costituito da case tipiche islandesi completamente in torba utilizzate fino agli inizi '900.Il tutto è molto curato e all'interno si possono visitare le stanze completamente arredate con anche gli accessori dell'epoca.Bellissima esperienza, la consiglio.L'Islanda è un paese dove la natura con la sua forza e bellezza terrificante sovrasta l'uomo.Visitare questi luoghi fa capire come fosse e sia duro vivere in questo paese magnifico.