Reynistadarkirkja is a small white church in Northwest Iceland, at the farm of Reynistaður. Opposite it is a memorial to the brothers who went missing in the 1880s, a case remembered as an Icelandic mystery. Behind the church stands a renovated old house, the last remaining part of the old farm at Reynistaðabær. The church is visited in summer and in winter alike.
Reynistadarkirkja church
Local name: Reynistaðarkirkja
Opposite the church stands a memorial to the brothers who went missing in the 1880s.
- Parking
- Car park at the church.
- Address
- Reynistaður, 551 Sauðárkrókur
What makes it special
Most of what there is to see here is not the church. The building is small, white and plain. Directly opposite it stands a memorial to the brothers who went missing in the 1880s, a case remembered as an Icelandic mystery. Behind the church, screened by a hedge, is an old house that has been renovated. It belonged to Reynistaðabær, the farm that stood here earlier. Memorial, church and house stand within a few steps of one another.
Good to know
- The old house is easy to miss. It cannot be seen from the car park. Go round behind the church and through the hedge to reach it.
- The memorial stands opposite the church. It marks the brothers who went missing in the 1880s.
- The old house is the last of Reynistaðabær. Nothing else of the old farm remains.
Getting there
Reynistadarkirkja stands at the farm of Reynistaður in Northwest Iceland. Come by car: the car park is at the church itself, and the walk from it to the door takes a few paces. The old house behind the church is the only part of the site that asks for more than that.
Best time to visit
Better: either season. The church is a stop that works in summer and in winter.
Avoid: no time of year rules it out.
The church, the memorial opposite and the old house behind the hedge all stand in the open, so the visit is the same short stop in any month.
Sun & daylight
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Frequently asked questions
What is there to see at Reynistadarkirkja?
A small white church, a memorial opposite it to the brothers who went missing in the 1880s, and a renovated old house behind the church.How do you get to the old house behind the church?
It is not visible from the car park. Walk round behind the church and go through the hedge.What is the old house?
The last remaining part of Reynistaðabær, the old farm that stood at this site.Is the church worth a stop in winter?
Yes. It is visited in summer and in winter alike.