Iceland: Hofskirkja Church
Hofskirkja church is a fairytale turf-covered church in southern Iceland. It is in fact the last actively-practicing turf church built in the country in 1848. The church’s skeleton is made from timber blocks, then surrounded with stone, and finally covered with turf. The church is actually partially sunk into the ground for further insulation. Turf and grass are actually even better for heat preservation that wood or stone or brick, and Iceland used to have a lot of turf structures like this. Hofskirkja is ultra-picturesque, surrounded by green cemetery, underneath cliffs and a view of the distant ocean – you feel like you are in the Lord of the Rings country.
