Eiðakirkja is a wooden church with a bell gable at its west end. It is 10.11 m long and 6.05 m wide; the bell gable measures 1.51 m in length and 1.93 m in width. If you are interested in the building’s design, these measurements offer a concrete comparison between the church and its bell gable. They help capture a distinctive feature of Eiðar in a specific architectural detail.

Eiðakirkja and the history of the area

Eiðakirkja is first mentioned in Bishop Páll Jónsson’s church register from 1197. Eiðar itself is first mentioned in Droplaugarsona saga, whose events are believed to take place around the turn of the second millennium. These dates refer to different things: 1197 is the year the church was mentioned, while the saga’s events are only approximately placed in this earlier period.

Eiðar was once a large farm, a chieftain’s seat and a church site. These descriptions point to different historical roles: a large farm, the seat of a chieftain and a place of religious life. Together with the church’s mention and the saga, they offer different perspectives on the area’s history rather than describing just one attraction.

Getting your bearings by Lake Eiðavatn

Kirkjumiðstöð Austurlands is on the east shore of Lake Eiðavatn, a little north of Eiðar’s main group of buildings. The lake and the group of buildings therefore provide clear reference points for finding your way. The buildings of Kirkjumiðstöð are on one level and are accessible inside, for example for wheelchair users. If accessibility is important for your trip, confirm the current conditions in advance.

Eiðaskóli: the decision and its transformation

Another important part of the area’s history is the school at Eiðar. In 1917, it was decided to make Eiðaskóli the Alþýðuskóli for Austurland. In 1918, it was transformed into the regional school Alþýðuskólinn á Eiðum, which continued to operate until 1995. The decision and the transformation thus took place in two successive years and should be understood as separate steps.

The school was the first of its kind in Iceland to be established by law, publicly owned and operated with public funds. These characteristics refer to separate aspects of its institutional status: its legal basis, ownership and funding. The school’s history thus combines a specific sequence of years with a special place in Icelandic education.

Summer activities and disc golf

Since 1968, the National Church of Iceland has held summer camps in Eiðar every summer. The programme is for children and young people and includes outdoor activities and boat trips on the lake. The boat trips are part of the summer camp programme, so they should be understood as part of this offering rather than as a separate activity generally open to the public.

Another point of interest is the disc golf course on the shore of Lake Eiðavatn. It has nine holes and was established in the summer of 2018. Alongside the cultural and historical topics, there is therefore a sports facility with a specific number of holes. When choosing what interests you, it is helpful to distinguish between this facility and the seasonal summer camp programme: both are associated with Eiðar, but they involve different activities and target groups.

You can plan a stay in Eiðar around clearly distinct themes: the wooden church and its history, the regional school history, and the lake, with its disc golf course and the summer programme offered as part of the summer camp. If you prefer historical themes, the church register, saga and school offer different perspectives on the past. If you are interested in activities, the disc golf course and summer camp show why the conditions and target groups of each offering matter when planning.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Höfn Í Hornafirði, Bjarnanes, Svartiskogur, þÓrshöfn, Reydarfjördur, Fáskrúðsfjörður, Disastaðir, Berunes

Back to the main travel overview: Austurland.