Laugarvatn is a small village located on the shores of a scenic lake, midway between Þingvellir National Park and Gullfoss waterfall. On arrival, one of the first things you will notice is a stately, green and yellow building, with a gabled roof reminiscent of the old, Icelandic turf farms. This is Héraðsskólinn hotel.
A family affair
The hotel opened last summer and is run by two friends, Sverrir Steinn Sverrisson and Sveinn Pálsson. It is somewhat of a family affair because Sverrir’s girlfriend, architect Eyrún Stefánsdóttir, redesigned the building’s interior.
“We kept most of the old furniture and the old school bell, which we now use to ring in dinner and the Northern Lights,” Sverrir explains. He tells us that he has a personal connection to the place—his maternal grandparents were among the school’s first students.
The rooms are spacious and white, furnished with unique, antique pieces. Héraðsskólinn offers everything from standard double rooms to larger family rooms. They also offer a cheaper alternative in the form of a shared dorm room with access to a kitchen and a common room.
Sverrir Steinn Sverrisson is the hotel manager at Héraðsskólinn. Photo/Óðinn Þór Kjartansson
A Nobel laureate’s typewriter and old school desks
The name, Héraðsskólinn, means district school. The building was designed in 1928 as a boarding school by State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson (who also designed the National Theatre and Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík). This grand, old building proudly bears the marks of its past: old educational posters and class photographs dating back to the early ‘30’s decorate the walls, while the dining room is furnished with school desks from the fifties.
Guðjón’s old desk and chair are found in Sverrir’s office. In another corner of the room sits an old typewriter that once belonged to Halldór Laxness, the Icelandic Nobel laureate.
Hikes, geothermal baths, and good restaurants
Laugarvatn has long been a centre for education as well as a popular summer resort among Icelanders due to the geothermal baths. Today its population is around 250 people. However, the number of inhabitants doubles in the autumn when students arrive to study at Laugarvatn Grammar School and the National University’s Department of Physical Education.
There is much to see and do both in Laugarvatn and its vicinity and Sverrir recommends people spend more than a day in the area.
“It’s a beautiful hike up Hlöðufell mountain, and Brúarárfoss waterfall is also worth a visit. We have geothermal baths by the lake, lovely little cafés and restaurants, and horse rentals, so there’s lots to do. Of course, we’ll assist you in any way we can when it comes to planning your stay in Laugarvatn.”
See more at Heradsskolinn.is.
Rest up in a beautiful old boarding school situated on a geothermal spot in the south of Iceland.
Laugarvatn is a small village located on the shores of a scenic lake, midway between Þingvellir National Park and Gullfoss waterfall. On arrival, one of the first things you will notice is a stately, green and yellow building, with a gabled roof reminiscent of the old, Icelandic turf farms. This is Héraðsskólinn hotel.
A family affair
The hotel opened last summer and is run by two friends, Sverrir Steinn Sverrisson and Sveinn Pálsson. It is somewhat of a family affair because Sverrir’s girlfriend, architect Eyrún Stefánsdóttir, redesigned the building’s interior.
“We kept most of the old furniture and the old school bell, which we now use to ring in dinner and the Northern Lights,” Sverrir explains. He tells us that he has a personal connection to the place—his maternal grandparents were among the school’s first students.
The rooms are spacious and white, furnished with unique, antique pieces. Héraðsskólinn offers everything from standard double rooms to larger family rooms. They also offer a cheaper alternative in the form of a shared dorm room with access to a kitchen and a common room.
Sverrir Steinn Sverrisson is the hotel manager at Héraðsskólinn. Photo/Óðinn Þór Kjartansson
A Nobel laureate’s typewriter and old school desks
The name, Héraðsskólinn, means district school. The building was designed in 1928 as a boarding school by State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson (who also designed the National Theatre and Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík). This grand, old building proudly bears the marks of its past: old educational posters and class photographs dating back to the early ‘30’s decorate the walls, while the dining room is furnished with school desks from the fifties.
Guðjón’s old desk and chair are found in Sverrir’s office. In another corner of the room sits an old typewriter that once belonged to Halldór Laxness, the Icelandic Nobel laureate.
Hikes, geothermal baths, and good restaurants
Laugarvatn has long been a centre for education as well as a popular summer resort among Icelanders due to the geothermal baths. Today its population is around 250 people. However, the number of inhabitants doubles in the autumn when students arrive to study at Laugarvatn Grammar School and the National University’s Department of Physical Education.
There is much to see and do both in Laugarvatn and its vicinity and Sverrir recommends people spend more than a day in the area.
“It’s a beautiful hike up Hlöðufell mountain, and Brúarárfoss waterfall is also worth a visit. We have geothermal baths by the lake, lovely little cafés and restaurants, and horse rentals, so there’s lots to do. Of course, we’ll assist you in any way we can when it comes to planning your stay in Laugarvatn.”
See more at Heradsskolinn.is.
