Stóru-Akrar in Skagafjörður
In Blönduhlíð there are four farms, known as Akratorfa. One of them is Stóru-Akrar, where Skúli Magnússon, later the district magistrate and governor, lived for most of his time in Skagafjörður. There are still remnants of the farm that he had built between 1743 and 1745.
Stóru-Akrar is two adjacent houses, a main entrance, and a living room. Between them are passageways behind the houses. The living room was used as a meeting hall and served as the primary gathering place in the district. A living room facing the farmyard was a novelty in those times. Such arrangements became common in northern Iceland during the latter part of the 18th century. The outer doors are no longer present. The timber framing of the houses is unique, a type of intermediate construction between a timber frame and a post-and-beam structure that emerged in the 18th century. The interior is traditional. Inside the houses, you will find interesting wooden decorations salvaged from earlier structures on the site, displaying various signs of previous use, some adorned with decorative patterns. Several types of wooden decorations can be found, and the presence of decorations on the woodwork is an indication that they were once part of more distinguished houses.
The National Museum of Iceland took over the houses in 1954. Restoration work began a year later, and since then, efforts have been made to preserve the buildings according to their historical context. Guests are welcome at their own responsibility. Please take care of the house and surroundings when visiting.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands tók húsin í sína vörslu árið 1954. Gagngerar viðgerðir fóru fram ári síðar, og hefur eftir það verið dyttað að bænum eftir föngum. Gestir eru velkomnir á eigin ábyrgð. Vinsamlegast gangið vel um. Byggingarlýsing Guðmundar L. Hafsteinssonar er að finna hér á síðunni.
