Overview
About Reykholt
Snorri's estate and political world
Snorri combined the roles of chieftain, writer and lawspeaker. Reykholt gave him a strategically placed base, with clergy and learned men connected to the church estate. His literary reputation rests especially on the Edda and Heimskringla, the collection of Norwegian kings' sagas. The site's history also belongs to the violent struggles of the thirteenth century: Snorri was killed at Reykholt in September 1241 after conflict involving Icelandic rivals and the Norwegian crown.
Archaeology and continuing scholarship
Excavations have recovered fragments of twelfth- and thirteenth-century objects that illuminate the estate's material culture and overseas connections. Snorrastofa presents these finds alongside Snorri's life and supports research into medieval culture. Reykholt also has a later educational history: the district school operated here from 1931 until 1997. These successive roles make the place a record of learning across different periods, rather than solely a memorial to one author.
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