See Tyrfingsstaðir Turf House, Kjálki, Iceland

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The turf farm Tyrfingsstaðir is located in the centre of an area called Kjálki in Skagafjörður in northern Iceland. The farm lies on the boundary between the densely populated agricultural area of Skagafjörður to the north and the uninhabited highland valley of Austurdalur to the south. The western boundary of the farm is the glacial river Jökulsá which runs through a deep gorge. From the river the farmland slopes gently to the east but soon merges with a steeper mountain slope. The first mention of Tyrfingsstaðir in written sources dates from the year 1478. The farmhouse is a compound of different structures which date mostly from 1870-1895, the timber house at the front of the compound being the most recent, built in 1904. The compound consists of five domestic buildings, four outhouses and a corral. Facing west is the timber building (framhús), comprising two rooms on either side of a corridor, a living room and a storage room as well as a storage loft above. The entrance is at the centre of theframhúsfollowed by a corridor leading to the back of the house to thebaðstofa. Thebaðstofawas the main living quarters, modernised in 1960, with two bedrooms and a kitchen, panelled on the inside. Opposite thebaðstofaare an older hearth kitchen and a pantry. Adjoined to the north are a cowshed and a lamb shed. Parts of the farm were renovated in 1960 and turf house was inhabited until 1969. Within the farmstead the outhouses from the 19thand 20thcentury still exist although most of them are in ruins. Restoration work at Tyrfingsstaðir is underway. All the buildings in Tyrfingsstaðir, both the farm and the outhouses are built in the traditional manner from turf, stone and timber. A classic wall is made up of stones andstrengurin the lower part andstrengurorklömbruhnausin the upper part. Some of the walls are made solely from turf. Most of theframhúsis made from timber, both the front and frame which is of binding task (bindingsverk), however the gables are turf, and the walls are panelled on the inside with staves (from cement barrels). The roofs are made from driftwood and turf. Tyrfingsstaðir is an excellent example of a turf house set within a well preserved cultural landscape.

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