Sólheimar is a self-sufficient community with a notable past and is the first community of its kind in the world, where people with special needs and those without live and work together. Inspired by the theories of Rudolf Steiner, Sólheimar has focused on cultivating the individual and the environmental and was the first community in Scandinavia to practice organic cultivation.

Sólheimar was founded in 1930 by Sesselja H. Sigmundsdóttir who studied the care of children and the mentally challenged in Germany and Switzwerland. Sesselja was fascinated by the vision and theories of Rudolf Steiner, and based her work primarily on his methodologies. She emphasised organic horticulture, healthy food and artistic expression in her work with both children with learning difficulties alongside with those without. Today, Sólheimar is a charming village of about 100 inhabitants, renowned for its international, artistic and ecological atmosphere, and prides itself on its varied cultural, social and sporting activities.

Various services and interesting activities are available for tourists at Sólheimar. Sesselja House 'Eco-centre' hosts conferences, meetings, and educational courses, Brekkukot Guesthouse, is the first guesthouse in Iceland to receive official certification as a "sustainable travel service", whilst the café Græna Kannan specialises in organic food and beverages. Vala Grocery Store and Art Gallery, focuses on handicrafts and artwork created both in the different workshops at Sólheimar, and by resident artists. Sólheimar is also home to the Jurtagull Herbal Soap Factory, producing handmade soaps and shampoos from Icelandic plants, a Candle factory, a Weaving Workshop, an Art Workshop, and a Carpentry Workshop, which creates items hand-crafted from wood, including children's toys and musical instruments. There is a small farm with calves and chickens, Ölur, the only organic reforestation centre in Iceland, and Sunna an organic cultivation centre.

     

There is a famous theatre group, founded in 1932, active all year around, a gallery with art exhibitions, a choir, a sports club and a Scout troop. Other attractions include a sculpture garden, swimming pool with hot tub, and gymnasium. There are also a number of fine walking paths in beautiful surroundings.

The Sólheimar community is self-sufficient, and has both worldly and spiritual aims. The core idea is to create a harmony of tradition with new technologies that responsibly utilise natural resources, thereby handing over to future generations a planet in balance with itself that can provide the same opportunities for individual and communal self-fulfilment. Self-sufficient communities such as Sólheimar are leaders in discovering natural solutions to environmental problems facing the world today.

We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrowed it from our children.

Further information on www.solheimar.is

Information: (+354) 480-4400 
E-mail: solheimar@solheimar.is
Fax: 4804402

Reservations: tel. (+354) 4804483 or (+354) 898 4483.
E-mail: / brekkukot@solheimar.is

Visit Sólheimar and experience its unique international, artistic and ecological atmosphere!!!

     

Sólheimar Eco-village is an ideal place to take a break. Taste the organic food and beverages in the café Græna Kannan, visit Vala, the local store and art gallery, offering a variety of organic products and handicrafts produced in the different workshops, and Sunna, the cultivation centre. Enjoy a peaceful stay at Brekkukot Guest house, the first guest house in Iceland to have received official certification as a "sustainable travel service". Good facilities for meetings and conferences are available in Sesselja House Eco-centre.
Sólheimar village offers a comprehensive programme for groups including a lecture with slide show and a village sightseeing tour visiting the various artistic workshops and cultivation centres.