Abandoned Houses of Iceland #2 | Route 1, Iceland

In a previous post, I talked about the overwhelming amount of abandoned houses in Iceland. Most of the population is crammed into the capital, Reykjavik. As we were driving through Snaefellsnes, we saw this abandoned farmhouse closer to the shore. 

The contrast of the natural beauty and this crumbling home was hauntingly beautiful. Every now and then, I'll come across photos of this same house from other travelers who also stopped to explore. To this day, I still wonder what happened to the family that used to live there. Were they forced to move out because of the economy or was it something else? 

Abandoned Houses of Iceland #1 | Route 1, Iceland

As we were driving on Route 1 through Iceland, we noticed that there were heaps of abandoned farms and houses. We would've loved to stop at every single one, but we were already stopping too much. I heard that there are close to 550 abandoned homes throughout the country. A majority of Iceland's population is located in Reykjavik, thus causing these rural areas to lose most of it's inhabitants. 

This house was the first one we decided to photograph. We debated for a bit whether or not we would go inside and decided, to pass. There is definitely a quiet beauty about this place and I didn't want to disturb it by trespassing. I can't help but wonder a bit about the people that left this place behind. What caused them to pack everything and move on. I love that these houses haven't been torn down and instead are left as reminders of the past.