Iceland is known for its secrets that are only slowly being discovered by visitors. Until recently, the country was known as ‘Europe’s Best Kept Secret’. Even today, there are places that visitors are discovering as pearls of great beauty and historical interest. Life was tough in former years and one can only admire the fortitude of the settlers who endured earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, destruction of farms, crops and livestock, ensuing famine, crushing poverty and isolation.
Go back to Settlement Days
A manor farm was founded during the early Settlement Era in Stöng, in the Þjórsá river valley, a spectacularly beautiful area with waterfalls and lush vegetation. You can well understand the choice of location when you see it.
The beauty and serenity was not to last, however, in the shadow of volcanoes such as Hekla and Katla. In 1104, the first recorded eruption of Hekla - known as the ‘Gateway to Hell’ brought death and destruction to the entire area. The farm was abandoned, buried under ash and pumice, just one of at least twenty farms destroyed in the region. See more here
Prenta
