Hesthúsið á Hólum is the oldest constructed and preserved building in Iceland and was built around 1650. It is located in the Láganúpur area near Kollsvík Bay in the Westfjords and originally served as a stable, cowshed, and later a smoking house. It was constructed by workers from the Láganúpur farm using stone and turf at a time when the local nobleman Eggert “ríki” Björnsson was developing fishing and farming settlements. The settlement of Hólar disappeared during the plague epidemic in 1707, but the building continued to serve the neighboring farm. After the last permanent residents left, the building began to deteriorate; however, thanks to Sigríður Guðbjartsdóttir and the support of the heritage fund, it was completely restored between 2010–2016. Today, it stands as a rare monument to traditional Icelandic architecture and rural life in past centuries.
