Skriðuklaustur - making history (2:2)

WORK/PROJECT: 

SEEDS volunteers in this project will have the unique opportunity to join one of the most exciting archaeological projects in Iceland for the third year in a row!

We will be working at the archaeological site Skriðuklaustur (e. The monastery at Skriða), the project started in 2002 and its aim is to investigate, through an archaeological excavation, the monastery that operated on the farmstead Skriða in Fljótsdalur Valley, East Iceland, during the period from 1493 to the Reformation in 1550.

Our tasks in this project will mainly be connected with taking care of the land around the monastery and include renovation and restoration of its ruins. We will be beautifying the area, constructing stone walls and laying sod. Other tasks might include making and fixing walking paths, gardening works nearby the monastery and the place where we will be accommodated.

The working plan will be very flexible and it will depend on the needs of our local hosts and of course on the weather conditions.

ACCOMMODATION:

We will be lodged in a building located approximately 5 km from our working site (monastery excavations), equipped with kitchen and living room. A sleeping bag is needed.

We will have breakfast and dinner at the accommodation; while lunch will be served at the café in Skriðuklaustur on working days. The kitchen will be available for us to cater ourselves on weekends.

Food ingredients will be provided; we will share the duties of preparing and cooking meals. Please do not forget some traditional food from your home country for the international evening.

LOCATION:

We will work in Skriðuklaustur at Fljótsdalur, located 40 km from the biggest town in the East of Iceland, Egilsstaðir (pop. 2,300) and about 650 km from Reykjavík. It is part of Fljótsdalshérað, (pop. of 3.700) at 8.884 km² is the largest Icelandic municipality.

The monastery at Skriða, named Skriðuklaustur, was the youngest of the seven monasteries and two nunneries in operation in Iceland during the medieval period, but within a short time, it became one of the richest. It is thought that this increase in material wealth was due to Skriðuklaustur having been the only monastery in East Iceland.  Nowadays, Skriðuklaustur has a local centre of culture and history.

The house was built in 1939 and is one of Iceland's most important buildings. There is a museum about the writer Gunnar Gunnarsson in the house. It is also a residence for artists, writers and scholars, both Icelandic and foreign. At Skriðuklaustur there are as well exhibitions available for visitors and many events organised concerning local culture and the nature of East Iceland. The ruins of the 16th century monastery with archaeological excavation are located nearby.

The East Fjords is a region of a special landscape, dominated by long, narrow fjords and steep mountains. This is one of the oldest regions of Iceland shaped by glaciers in the Ice Age. The biggest forest in Iceland and also wild reindeers are found in Fljótsdalur.

LANGUAGE:

English will be the language in the camp; basic conversational skills are needed.

TERMINAL:

Closest International Airports: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF); nearest domestic airport and bus stop is Egilsstaðir (EGS). The docking port for the Norröna ferry connecting Iceland with the Faroe Islands, Denmark and Europe is located in the town of Seyðisfjörður, 30 Km from Egilsstaðir.

SEEDS organises the “minibus option”, a shared transport from Reykjavík to the camps and vice-versa, which apart from being cheaper and more convenient, allows volunteers to meet fellow campers and have a relaxed trip, while stopping on the way for interesting and tourist sites.

SPECIAL REMARKS / EXTRAS:

Participation fee EUR 200 (Euros).

SEEDS and the local host will organise several free-time activities to explore and discover the area as: excursions, horse-back riding or fishing for trout or a highland trip/mountain hike.

Age: 18+