‘Dirt Hovels’ and Cultural Heritage: The Eradication and Inheritance of the Icelandic Turf House

Abstract

This article explores conflicting views of the Icelandic turf house and how these views relate to notions of corrupt architecture and so-called ‘difficult’ heritage. First, we define the concepts of corrupt and difficult architecture and address their relationship to the discussion of heritage. We assert that this theoretical discussion is highly applicable as regards turf houses, plans for their eradication and measures to protect and preserve them. Next, we examine general attitudes towards turf buildings and several public campaigns to eradicate them, whereby turf is defined as an obstacle to cultural and social progress. Finally, we explore public measures to protect the Icelandic turf house, focusing mainly on the efforts of the National Museum of Iceland, which has a leading role in policy development and conservation of Icelandic architectural heritage.

Keywords:

• turf houses
• difficult heritage
• eradication
• preservation
• museum

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Notes

1 “Samfylkingarfólki óglatt.”

2 The formal title of the Director of the National Museum of Iceland.

3 In this article, the National Museum of Iceland (Þjóðminjasafn Íslands) also refers to the Forngripasafnið and Þjóðmenjasafnið, earlier names for the institution.

4 Hoorn, Indispensable Eyesores, 2.

5 Macdonald, “Mediating Heritage Tour Guides.”

6 Ágústsson, “Íslenski torfbærinn”; Ágústsson, Íslensk byggingararfleifð.

7 Henning, “Housing”; Hannu, “The Home Ideology”; Bullock and Read, Housing Reform in Germany.

8 Compare Longcroft, “Medieval Clay-Walled Houses”; Robertson, “Hardscrabble Heritage”; Parkin and Adderley, “Lost Earth Buildings of Scotland.”

9 “Um Fjárhagsmálið.” All translations from Icelandic are authors.

10 “Steinhús og timburhús,” 5–6, 1.

11 “Húsabót,” 1.

12 Bald, “Um húsabætur á landskjálftasvæðinu og víðar,” 1.

13 Guðmundsson, “Torfbæir og timburhús,” 161.

14 “Frá Jarðskjálftasvæðinu,” 30.

15 Jónsson, “Húsakynni í sveitum,” 76.

16 Hannesson, “Maður Horfðu þjer nær,” 1–2.

17 The baðstofa was divided into sections or bays, often partitioned off from each other. These were known as stafgólf (“stave-space”), the space between two supporting posts; the number of stafgólf was a measurement of the size of a baðstofa.

18 Hannesson, “Maður Horfðu þjer nær,” 1.

19 Hafsteinsson, “Hughrif um varanleika,” 89–94.

20 “A Survey of Building Conditions in Rural Iceland.”

21 The survey results are reprinted in Stefánsson, Hvílíkt torf—tóm steypa.

22 “Reports on Farms and Building Conditions in Rural Iceland.”

23 “Minute Book of the Ísafjörður Building Committee A.”

24 “Questionnaires on Rural Housing during the Period 1901–1950,” 1901

25 Ólafsson, “Letter Accompanying the Report.”

26 “Torfbæir,” 1.

27 “Húsbyggingar í sveitum landsins,” 2.

28 Kristjánsson, “Bændabýlin þekku,” 19.

29 “Íslenzk húsakynni”; Bernharðsson Undir bárujárnsboga.

30 “Úr bændabyggðum,” 5.

31 “Bærinn byggi árlega 200 íbúðir á þessu og næstu tveim árum.” 1.

32 Bjarnason, “Inngangur. Sögulegt yfirlit,” 5–11, 10.

33 Hallgrímsson, “Öllum er lífsnauðsyn að hafa þak yfir höfuðið,” 12.

34 Ágústsson, Íslensk byggingararfleifð II, 313.

35 See Hafsteinsson, “Icelandic Putridity.”

36 Guðmundsson, “Sigurður Guðmundsson to Steingrímur Thorsteinsson.”

37 “The Minute Book of the Society Kvöldfélagið.”

38 Hafsteinsson, “Museum Politics and Turf-House Heritage,” 266–73.

39 Jónsson, “Brynjólfur Jónsson from Minni-Núpur to Pálmi Pálsson.”

40 Ágústsson, “Fornir Húsaviðir í Hólum,” 5–66.

41 Guðmundsson, “Cultural Policy in Iceland,” 113–45, 116–19; Rastrick, Háborgin

42 Rastrick, “Postulínshundar og glötuð meistaraverk,” 35.

43 Matthías, “Verndun fornmenja og gamalla kirkjugripa,” 258.

44 “Ríkið heldur við gömlum torfbæjum og torfkirkjum í landinu”; “Gamli Bærinn í Laufási varðveittur sem menningarsöguleg bygging.”

45 “Samþykktir búnaðarþings.”

46 Advertisement, Morgunblaðið, 26.

47 Guðmundsson, “Cultural Policy in Iceland,” 122–6.

48 Cf. e.g., the Reykjavík Mayor’s office, archive concerning the Árbær Open Air Museum, 1960–76 & 1977–90 (Skrifstofa borgarstjóra, Málasafn Árbæjarsafns 1960–76 og 1977–90), Reykjavík City Archives, Reykjavík.

49 Magnússon, “Þór Magnússon to the Board of the Árbær Open-Air Museum.”

50 Sigurbjörnsson, “Lárus Sigurbjörnsson to Mayor Geir Hallgrímsson.”

51 Interview with the first author, 2010.

52 Macdonald, “Mediating Heritage Tour Guides,” 127–8.

53 Kristmundsson, Reinventing Government in Iceland.

54 Ásgrímsson, “Formáli.”

55 Hafsteinsson and Árnadóttir, “Menningarstefna og fagurfræði”; Árnason and Hafsteinsson, “Menningarhús tilfinninganna”; Hallgrímsdóttir and Kristmundsson, “A Museum Out of Date?”

56 See the report at http://heimsminjar.is/images/tentative/turfhouses.pdf

57 Lárusson, “Íslenski Bærinn”; Hafsteinsson, “Museum Politics and Turf-House Heritage.”

58 Guðlaugsdóttir, “Torfbæirnir—minjar á heimsmælikvarð.”

59 Rastrick, Háborgin.

60 Hoorn, Indispensable Eyesores, 9–10.