Origins
The farm traces back to the Age of Settlement
Built tradition
Homes, þinghús, sheep barns, and stables were built from turf
Today
The Old Stable, the shed, and the turf pen were built in 2015 to bring this lost building tradition back to life.
The history of Lýtingsstaðir begins in the Age of Settlement, when a man named Lýtingur settled on the site of the present estate.
For centuries the farm held an important place in the district, and the former municipality, Lýtingsstaðahreppur, took its name from the estate.
Buildings that shaped the farm
A small church stood at Lýtingsstaðir from the 11th to the 18th century. Later, the site included a local community house known as Þinghús, still in use into the 20th century.
The þinghús and the farmhouse were built from turf and paneled with wood. Sheep barns and horse stables were also made of turf, usually with wooden gables.
Why The Old Stable exists
None of those earlier buildings survive today. The Old Stable was built as a response to that absence: a way to make the old craft visible again and to tell the story of the horses, buildings, and people who shaped the place.