Turf House, Íslenski bærinn, exhibition on a farm near Selfoss, South Iceland

©Egill Bjarnason/Lonely Planet

Turf House

The South


This farmstead is a constant work in progress: every summer, an international group of students practices the building of Icelandic turf houses from local material. A large, modern eco-house hosts an exhibition on the history of these traditional homes. Admission can be requested in advance outside regular hours, and includes a peek inside the renovated turf house up the road.

Over summer, one of the buildings hosts a coffee house serving traditional Icelandic pastries called kleinu (twisted doughnuts).


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