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| Awesome Grass Houses in Iceland | A place to survive Europe's harsh environment |
Awesome Grass Houses in Iceland | A place to survive Europe's harsh environment
Iceland is a Nordic country located in northwestern Europe and north of the Atlantic Ocean consisting of the island of Iceland and several small islands around it, this country is almost always in the top 5 in the list of happiest countries in the world, lined up with Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
As a country with the title of Happiest Iceland has also been named the safest country in the world which In fact, it has held the title 12 times, Iceland is located about 300 KM east of Greenland and 1000 km from Norway, this country is the 18th largest island in the world and as the second largest island in Europe after the United Kingdom with a population of 332,000 inhabitants Iceland is the country with the most sparsely populated in Europe.
Most Icelanders are Scandinavians, they use Icelandic with spelling and grammar that has remained almost unchanged for 1000 years, therefore Icelanders can read the ancient Saga which tells the story of the adventures of the Vikings without difficulty, which means Iceland is known to have many sliding hot springs that gush periodically releasing hot water and water vapor into the air.
In addition, this country is also one of the most barren countries in Europe, most of these plains are covered in active lava, steep cliffs and filled with large rocks scattered with layers of rock, making this country also has no fertile land, only one-fifth of this country which is mostly in the northwest region that can be planted with plants to this day, as a result of which wood is a rare community in this country with limited wood conditions, plus rocks basal that is difficult to cut.
Icelanders had difficulty obtaining building materials to build houses, but uniquely, in the midst of those difficult conditions, Icelandic settlers were able to adapt, they made buildings that became known as grass houses that were used as shelters since the time of the first nordic settlers, these cleverly designed houses helped humans survive in the most inhospitable environment in Europe, and interestingly the houses seemed very integrated with the Surrounding environment.
This residence was built with a wooden and stone frame foundation as a base, while the roof was covered with clumps and soil that was thick enough when the frame of the house was completed, then the soil and grass were compacted and stacked as much as possible on the wooden frame, at first the appearance of this grass house would be like a pile of soil because when it was just made there was only a little grass growing in the building, but after a few weeks the grass began to grow densely and Covering almost all parts of the house, only the small part of the door that is not covered by grass.
While the roofs and walls of houses are sometimes overgrown with very beautiful grass flowers, until the beginning of the 20th century, these grass houses became a very common sight in Iceland, but unfortunately urbanization projects have affected Iceland's demographics, the relocation of residents from the countryside and the shift to new building materials made many grass houses that are generally located in the countryside damaged by themselves due to neglect so that over time the building of grass houses became a sight which is increasingly rare in Iceland.