The farmhouses of Árbær are the only museum buildings still standing in their original locations. While it's difficult to tell the turf houses' age, the younger buildings date from between 1891 to around 1920. Some of the buildings were constructed of turf and stone, with the younger structures built from timber. Árbær was occupied until 1948 when the last resident moved away. Recent archaeological excavations indicate that the site was settled, either permanent or temporarily, in the 10th century. The residents of Árbær, who were farmers and engaged in traditional livestock farming, were mostly tenants, as renting was common in Iceland. For a considerable length of time, though, Árbær was on the main thoroughfare. For centuries, the national road to Reykjavík passed by the outskirts of the settlement. In around 1881, inn-keeping services commenced here and were said to be very hospitable.
The best way to get to know the farmhouse is to explore it yourself. The first stop is at the southernmost gable, stacked with turf and stone. This is the storehouse, which used to be the primary entrance to the rest of the house. The farm's pantry was also in this building, but when the farm was extended in 1911, a new pantry replaced it. Tools from bygone centuries hang on the walls; saddles, ropes for hay bales and other things that farmers in the days of yore needed on hand. The ceilings are low in the storehouse, but the workers' sleeping quarters covered most of the attic. Later, when new sleeping quarters for the workers were built, the attic was used as a storage area. If we walk towards the door in the wall, we will enter the open-hearth kitchen. When the last inhabitants came to Árbær in 1881, this was the only cooking facility. A new kitchen was later built in 1891. The old hearth still had a purpose, mainly used to smoke meat in the barn, so it was retained. It is a unique source that shows how people used to cook food on turf farms. From the kitchen leads a narrow corridor that ends in the cow byre. In South Iceland, it was common to be able to enter the cow byre from the hall. This was designed to make the most of the warmth from the farm animals during the winter months when they were kept indoors.
Let's now go back into the storehouse. Initially, you could walk from the storehouse to the baðstofa (living room/bedroom), which used to be stacked with turf and stone as well. It was torn down in 1891, and a new and more modern house was built in its place. After the Southern region earthquake in 1896, more and more Icelanders started building timber houses in the countryside. The new Árbær house had a steep attic, and the baðstofa was placed there. To enter it, you will need to climb up some steep stairs. Six beds are positioned by the outer walls, and they are free-standing, which is unusual. The house wasn't as well insulated as the turf farm was, so a small fireplace was once placed in one corner; it is not in the room anymore. Since the baðstofa was up in the attic, there was space for another living room on the floor below. At this point in time, Árbær fed and housed many travellers, so guests were invited into the living room. Behind the living room was another smaller room where the inhabitants ate their meals. By this time, people had stopped eating from the traditional askur (a wooden bowl with a lid).
Around that time, a small shed was built on the north side of the house. The kitchen stove that had been imported from Norway was moved there. This stove is still in Árbær. The shed became its own gable in 1911 when the house was enlarged yet again. The attic was used as the sleeping quarters for workers over the summer months. Interestingly, the stove's chimney went through the floor above, providing warmth for the attic. In front of the kitchen was a new living room, probably to accommodate an increasing number of passing travellers. That living room is often called the Small living room and the older the Big living room to distinguish them. Photographs of the Árbær inhabitants' friends adorn the walls, including Steingrímur Thorsteinsson and Birgitta, his wife, who were well-known in the second half of the 19th century. Steingrímur was a famous poet and the headmaster of the Reykjavík Learned School.
Next to the kitchen is a pantry, where it is possible to see various kitchen tools from the past. On a table by the window are newer kitchen tools.
The youngest of the farmhouses is the horse stable, which was usually called the travellers' stables. It was primarily used to keep the horses of travellers passing through. The stable worker Magnús Hansson, was well-tipped by travellers for looking after their horses. The story goes that he lent the housewife, Margrét, the money needed to build the stables.
The old Árbær farmhouse in Árbær Open Air Museum fits in well in these surroundings. It sits on the edge of a hill, with overgrown roofs and heavy and suitably sloping stacked walls. When guests see the house on a bright summer's day, most people will think that the inhabitants' lives were primarily peaceful and loving, if perhaps poor. Evil deeds and brutality seem far away. However, the farm was once the setting for murder, a crime of passion considered as one of the most horrific events of that time. Before we open the stage, we want to give you a bit of a back story.
Farming in the Elliðaár valley probably began soon after the settlement of Iceland. However, there are no references of Árbær in sources before the 15th century, when it belonged to Viðey Island's convent. It was probably donated to gain redemption. After the Reformation in 1550, all property belonging to religious orders, including Árbær, was confiscated by the King of Denmark.
The first clear picture of Árbær and its inhabitants is found in the land register compiled by Árni Magnússon and Páll Vídalín from 1704. It just so happens that the inhabitants at that time were the people connected to the murder, as mentioned above. The description of Árbær and the duties associated with it show that the farm wasn't a very desirable place to live: "Hayfield terribly stony and tussocky. Very little meadowland… there is enough turf to build houses, but sources of peat are dwindling rapidly." Despite this, two families were living on the farm at the time. One of the farmers had three cows, a heifer and two horses. The other also had three cows, a bull, a calf and one horse. Neither of them kept sheep. There is a little description of the farmhouses, but it is clear that the current houses are like a castle compared to those standing there before.
Despite the small numbers of livestock, tenants had to pay heavy taxes. The Catholic Church had been thought of as a ruthless tax collector, but the King's men at Bessastaðir proved to be worse. The so-called "land debt", which was actually rent paid for a farm, was settled in livestock or fish. The tax for livestock, which also belonged to the King, was paid in butter. In addition to this, tenants were obliged to work for their landlords for free - by fishing from Örfirisey, hunting in Elliðaárdalur, haymaking on Viðey Island, extracting peat, extracting brushwood and more. Tenants were also expected to rent their horses out for various projects. The King had also declared ownership of the salmon in the Elliðaár River, and people received heavy fines for poaching.
In 1704, half of the farm Árbær was rented by a 41-year-old man called Sæmundur Þórarinsson. His wife, Steinunn Guðmundsdóttir, was 43, and Sæmundur was her third husband. Living with them were her three children from a previous marriage. In the other half lived a 26-year-old unmarried man, Sigurður Arason, and his mother. Sigurður and Steinunn became romantically involved, and she urged him to find some way of getting rid of her husband. It is not known why she took these desperate measures.
The last inhabitants
In 1881, husband and wife Eyleifur Einarsson and Margrét Pétursdóttir moved to Árbær along with their three daughters Kristjana, Elín and Guðrún. They were the last family to live there, but their daughter Kristjana moved away in 1948, and Elín died from an accident when she was 19. The couple had started farming a few years before they moved to Árbær.
The Skötuföss Murders
The old Árbær farmhouse in Árbær Open Air Museum fits in well in these surroundings. It sits on the edge of a hill, with overgrown roofs and heavy and suitably sloping stacked walls. When guests see the house on a bright summer's day, most people will think that the inhabitants' lives were primarily peaceful and loving, if perhaps poor. Evil deeds and brutality seem far away. However, the farm was once the setting for murder, a crime of passion considered as one of the most horrific events of that time. Before we open the stage, we want to give you a bit of a back story.
Farming in the Elliðaár valley probably began soon after the settlement of Iceland. However, there are no references of Árbær in sources before the 15th century, when it belonged to Viðey Island's convent. It was probably donated to gain redemption. After the Reformation in 1550, all property belonging to religious orders, including Árbær, was confiscated by the King of Denmark.
The first clear picture of Árbær and its inhabitants is found in the land register compiled by Árni Magnússon and Páll Vídalín from 1704. It just so happens that the inhabitants at that time were the people connected to the murder, as mentioned above. The description of Árbær and the duties associated with it show that the farm wasn't a very desirable place to live: "Hayfield terribly stony and tussocky. Very little meadowland… there is enough turf to build houses, but sources of peat are dwindling rapidly." Despite this, two families were living on the farm at the time. One of the farmers had three cows, a heifer and two horses. The other also had three cows, a bull, a calf and one horse. Neither of them kept sheep. There is a little description of the farmhouses, but it is clear that the current houses are like a castle compared to those standing there before.
Despite the small numbers of livestock, tenants had to pay heavy taxes. The Catholic Church had been thought of as a ruthless tax collector, but the King's men at Bessastaðir proved to be worse. The so-called "land debt", which was actually rent paid for a farm, was settled in livestock or fish. The tax for livestock, which also belonged to the King, was paid in butter. In addition to this, tenants were obliged to work for their landlords for free - by fishing from Örfirisey, hunting in Elliðaárdalur, haymaking on Viðey Island, extracting peat, extracting brushwood and more. Tenants were also expected to rent their horses out for various projects. The King had also declared ownership of the salmon in the Elliðaár River, and people received heavy fines for poaching.
In 1704, half of the farm Árbær was rented by a 41-year-old man called Sæmundur Þórarinsson. His wife, Steinunn Guðmundsdóttir, was 43, and Sæmundur was her third husband. Living with them were her three children from a previous marriage. In the other half lived a 26-year-old unmarried man, Sigurður Arason, and his mother. Sigurður and Steinunn became romantically involved, and she urged him to find some way of getting rid of her husband. It is not known why she took these desperate measures.
One Sunday evening in September, Sæmundur and Sigurður went fishing in the river Elliðaár. While they were standing near the waterfall Skötufoss, a short distance from the farm Ártún, Sigurður came up behind Sæmundur, hit him on the head with a plank and pushed him into the river.
The next day, Sigurður spread the word throughout the district that Sæmundur was missing. Search parties were formed, and the body was soon found in the river. But it was not bloated as drowned men are, and it seemed clear that Sæmundur had died on dry land. The body was buried, and some time passed.
Little by little, the rumour spread that Sigurður was responsible for Sæmundur's death, or at least knew more than he was willing to admit about the demise of his neighbour. Sigurður was interrogated, and when told that the body would be exhumed, he finally confessed to the murder. Steinunn was then questioned, and after a lengthy interrogation by the authorities, she admitted to her part in the killing. The accomplices were both sentenced to death, and the executions took place in Kópavogur a short time later. Sigurður was beheaded, while Steinunn was drowned. According to the Vallaannáll, a contemporary chronicle, they both "made repentance and died quickly."
It is not certain where Sigurður and Steinunn were buried. But in 1938, roadworkers came upon a cairn in Kópavogur, finding two bodies in it. One had long hair, while the other was missing its head.