Roadworks damage protected ruins at Granastaðir

Roadworks have damaged protected archaeological remains at Granastaðir, a historic farmstead in Eyjafjarðarsveit, mbl.is reports. Iceland’s Cultural Heritage Agency is investigating the damage.

The agency received reports in early September that ruins had been disturbed by construction of a road for a planned power plant on land belonging to Tjarnir in Eyjafjarðardalur. A site visit confirmed the reports.

The farmstead remains form a connected settlement landscape dating from the earliest period of settlement in the country, according to agency records. They include substantial boundary walls around a longhouse, sunken buildings and other remains from the 10th and 11th centuries.

The site also shows how the land was used after Granastaðir was abandoned centuries ago. It contains a sheepfold built after 1477 and no longer used by the 18th century, as well as remains of sheep shelters. Possible burial sites and routes used since the beginning of settlement are also found there.

Road construction has breached the boundary walls in more than one place, significantly diminishing the site’s value to visitors, the agency says.

The agency has sent a letter to Eyjafjarðarsveit municipality but has not yet decided how to proceed or what consequences may follow. It says the circumstances must be investigated, including why the agency was not consulted before work began. The law allows fines for such violations.