Nesstofa by Seltjörn # 88702

Nesstofa at Seltjörn. The history of the building, its restoration and architecture. By Þorsteinn Gunnarsson.
Nesstofa at Seltjörn was built in 1761-1767 as the official residence of Bjarni Pálsson, the first medical director in Iceland. In 1772, the house was divided between him and Björn Jónson, the first chemist in Iceland. In 1834, the house was sold and the activities of the medical director and chemist were moved to Reykjavík. This book traces the architectural history of Nesstofa and tells about the main changes that were made to it over time, in addition to portraying glimpses of the life and work of the people of Nes as sources allow.


This book traces the architectural history of Nesstofa and tells of the main changes that were made to it over time, in addition to portraying the life and work of the people of Nes, as sources allow. It also discusses in detail the restoration of the building, which was carried out by the National Museum of Iceland in two phases, 1980-1986 and 2004-2008, with the aim of bringing the building as close to its original form as possible, with an emphasis on its historical value and architecture; the account provides insight into the work of restoring dilapidated houses, architectural historical research, design, and construction.


The Danish master builder Jacob Fortling designed Nesstofa. The book provides a thorough overview of his building work around the world, explaining the architecture of Nesstofa in terms of the main elements of building design, space, form and utility, and paying attention to his other structures in Iceland, including Bessastaðastofa, but also extensions to Hóla ​​Cathedral, a pillar and a vestry, which the author argues are the work of Fortling.


Þorsteinn Gunnarsson is an architect from the Copenhagen Academy of the Arts and also studied architectural archaeology at the French School of Archaeology in Athens. He has designed the restoration of many historic buildings, conducted research on eighteenth-century stone houses and medieval Icelandic house construction, and written books on both. He edited the book series Churches of Iceland.