 From
1765 to 1926, the House was the home of the Danish and Icelandic merchants
in Eyrarbakki and their staff. It was commonly known as "the House," probably
because it was the only wooden residential house at Eyrarbakki, at a time
when most Icelanders lived in turf houses, and was thus splendidly different.
The House has played an important role in Icelandic cultural history; it
was one of Iceland's most important centres of cultural activity for a
long period, from the days of the merchant Guðmundur Thorgrímsen
and his wife Sylvia, who moved to Eyrarbakki in 1847. The House had an
important cultural influence at this period, bringing Danish bourgeois
standards to Iceland.
Guðmundur Thorgrímsen was one of the founders of the Eyrarbakki
primary school in 1852; this school, which has functioned ever since, is
the oldest primary school in Iceland. Thorgrímsen had a reputation
for fairness and was a popular merchant. His family were active in promoting
musical
appreciation in the region; members of the household played the organ,
guitar and piano, as well as singing.
 Peter
Nielsen, manager of the Lefolii business from 1887 to 1910, lived in the
House with his wife, Eugenia Thorgrímsen. Nielsen was famed for
his studies of natural science and his natural history collection: he acquired
a large collection of the skins and eggs of Icelandic birds. He wrote articles
on natural history, especially about the distribution of Icelandic bird
species, which were published both in Iceland and abroad.
The House was much visited in the time of Thorgrímsen and Nielsen.
Many Icelandic and foreign visitors have left accounts of life in the House
at this time. These all indicate that the House was a civilised home, where
people were made welcome - not only the rich and influential, but also
ordinary people. Workers were eager to gain employment at the House,
which was regarded as the equivalent of an education.
 In
1918, when Iceland gained independence from Denmark, the Hekla cooperative,
owned by the farmers of south Iceland, purchased the assets of the Danish
merchants at Eyrarbakki, including the House. The manager of the cooperative
moved into the House with his family. In 1920 to 1926 the cooperative went
through a period of difficulties in trading at Eyrarbakki, and the House
passed for a time to the National Bank of Iceland.
In 1930 the House was purchased by Halldór Kr. Þorsteinsson
of Háteigur and his wife Ragnhildur Pétursdóttir,
after it had been advertised for sale. They had it renovated under the
supervision of Matthías Þórðarson, Keeper of National
Antiquities, who had encouraged them to buy the House. This is believed
to have saved the House from demolition, as it was rare at that time for
old buildings to be preserved. It is also believed to be the first conscientious
renovation of a building, for conservation purposes, by an individual in
Iceland.
 Ragnhildur
Pétursdóttir planned to open a school of domestic science
in the House, but this came to nothing. In World War II the House, by this
time used by the couple as a summer residence, was commandeered by the
occupying British forces. Ragnhildur Halldórsdóttir Skeoch,
daughter of Halldór Kr. Þorsteinsson, inherited the House
from her parents. Halldór and Ragnhildur rented out the Assistants'
House for many years.
Author Guðmundur Daníelsson lived there for some years in
the 1940s, and wrote seven books. Guðmundur lent the house to Halldór
Laxness, Nobel prize winner for literature, in 1945, and he wrote his book
Eldur í Kaupmannahöfn (Fire in Copenhagen), part of Íslandsklukkan
(The Bell of Iceland), in the house. Various other people lived in the
House and the Assistants' House, for varying periods of time.
 Finally,
the Assistants' House stood empty, in a state of dilapidation. In 1979
the House was purchased by Auðbjörg Guðmundsdóttir
and Pétur Sveinbjarnarson. They made various improvements to the
House, where Auðbjörg lived until 1994. The Icelandic Treasury
purchased the House in 1992. The National Museum of Iceland undertook the
management of the House on behalf of the Treasury, and supervised repairs
over the following two years. The Árnessýsla Folk Museum
moved into the House in August 1995, and opened it to the public.
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Húsið
("The House") in Eyrarbakki is one of Iceland's oldest buildings. Transported
to Iceland in kit form in 1765, it is a timber structure, with a ground
area of 20 x 14 ells (approx. 11 x 8 metres), and a total volume of 659
cubic metres, comprising two storeys and an attic.
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