The Fireplace

At the farm Stöð, located at the head of Stöðvarfjörður, ruins of buildings dating back to the beginning of Iceland’s settlement have been discovered. Among them are two exceptionally large longhouses, the older of which measures approximately 44 meters in length.

Both of these ancient longhouses contained "langeldar" (longfires)—elongated hearths built into the floor along the center of the hall. These fires served as heat sources but were also used for cooking.

With the goal of protecting a portion of these local antiquities within the community, it was decided to move the hearth (the longfire) from the older structure into the village for display. According to law, all other artifacts found at Stöð are preserved at the National Museum of Iceland.

This longhouse also contained two utility pits, one of which was lined with flat stones set on their edges. This feature makes it highly unique. These stones were moved and placed into a new pit dug at the end of the longfire, replicating their original placement at Stöð.

The exact purpose of this stone-lined indoor pit remains unknown. While other utility pits have been found at Stöð, none were lined with stones like this one; they typically show signs of heating, cooking, or even cod liver oil (lýsi) production.

It should be noted that while the stones themselves are original from the hearth and pit at Stöð, the display shown here is a reconstruction. It was meticulously crafted using the original materials, based on precise measurements and photographs from the site.

The project was carried out with the approval of:

• The Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland (Minjastofnun)

• Dr. Bjarni F. Einarsson, Archaeologist

• The Municipality of Fjarðabyggð

• The landowners at Stöð

The work was funded by a grant from Sterkur Stöðvarfjörður (Strong Stöðvarfjörður), a community development project under the Icelandic Regional Development Institute, and was completed by volunteers.