Homes and Settlement Patterns
Time Period 800-1600
The first homes of the Icelanders were simple longhouses. Entrance was via a door near the end of a elongated wall. A long hearth lay down the middle of the house, and sleeping/sitting platforms were placed along the walls. At both ends, storage spaces were probably partitioned off, while the central section was common space for the household. A replica of such a house has been built at Eiríksstaðir, west Iceland, the home of Eiríkur (Erik) the Red before he sailed westwards and found Greenland.
Lesa meira
Time Period 1600-2000
Although some changes took place in housing after the Reformation, mainly due to declining availability of timber for construction, upper-class homes were still of good quality. In accordance with practices in the kingdom of Denmark in the 18th century, stone residences were built in Iceland for the high sheriff, governor and director of public health, as well as several stone churches. These buildings were designed by Danish architects, such as De Thurah and Eigtved. Few stone buildings were known in Iceland before that time, for reasons which are not fully understood. Bishop Auðunn the Red of Hólar (bishop 1313-22) had begun constructing a stone cathedral, but it was never completed. The rock was re-used in the construction of the present Hólar Cathedral in the 18th century.
Lesa meira