North Iceland - Iceland - page 468

Sights
A historical-trail brochure (available at the accommodation info desk) guides you round
some of the buildings at Hólar. Nýibær is a historical turf farm dating from the mid-19th
century and inhabited until 1945. Also worth seeing is Auðunarstofa , a replica of the
14th-century bishop's residence, built using traditional tools and methods.
Cathedral CHURCH
( 10am-6pm Jun-mid-Sep)
Completed in 1763, Hólar's red-sandstone cathedral is the oldest stone church in Iceland
and brimming with historical works of art, including a 1674 baptismal font carved from a
piece of soapstone that washed in from Greenland on an ice floe.
The extraordinary carved altarpiece was donated by the last Catholic bishop of Hólar,
Jón Arason, around 1520. After he and his sons were executed at Skálholt for opposition
to the Danish Reformation, his remains were brought to Hólar and entombed in the bell
tower. The present church tower was built in 1950 as a memorial.
Icelandic Horse History Centre MUSEUM
( www.sogusetur.is ; adult/child Ikr900/450; 10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 1-5pm Sat Jun-Aug)
The admission price gets you a personalised tour around this comprehensive exhibit on
Iceland's unique breed and its role in Iceland's history. It's fittingly located in an old stable
at the heart of the Hólar estate.
Sleeping & Eating
Hólar Tourism Service GUESTHOUSE, COTTAGES
( 455 6333; www.holar.is ; d with/without bathroom Ikr19,800/16,700, d apt Ikr21,300; )
The college accommodation block offers summer stays in vacant student rooms and apart-
ments. Alternatively, wooden cottages in the grounds sleep up to six, and are available
year-round. The complex has a restaurant and swimming pool; a camping area is nearby.