Kaldaðarnes is an ancient farm estate in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

on the banks of the Ölfus river, around west of

Selfoss Selfoss may refer to: *Selfoss (town), Iceland *UMF Selfoss, a football club based in Selfoss **Selfoss men's football **Selfoss women's football *Selfoss (waterfall), Iceland *Selfoss Airport Selfoss Airport is an airport serving Selfoss, a to ...

. Records of a farm at this location exist back to year 1200 AD where it is stated that Kaldaðarnes was one of few farms with rights to offer ferry service across the Ölfus river. At Kaldaðarnes there was a church during Middle Ages and in the church there was a wooden cross that was believed to have healing powers, drawing pilgrims to the church. The cross was cut down and burned during the Lutheran reform. Kaldaðarnes was an estate with 10 to 12 tenements. Between 1754 and 1846 there was a

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

hospital at Kaldaðarnes and during 1945 to 1948 it was the location of an rehabilitation centre for alcoholics. During World War II, the British forces built a large military camp at Kaldaðarnes as well as an airfield which was called RAF Station Kaldadarnes. Following a flood in Ölfus river, the military camp was closed down but the airfield remained in operation. After the war, the buildings were torn down and moved to the

Keflavík airport Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njarðv ...

. The airstrip continued to be used during the early years of Icelandic aviation but is now in ruins.

External links

* https://archive.today/20080725211643/http://www.south.is/is/ahugaverdir-stadir/Fornfraeg-byli/Kaldadarnes/647/default.aspx * http://www.nat.is/travelguide/ahugav_st_kaldadarnes.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaldadarnes Military history of Iceland during World War II World War II sites in Iceland Southern Region (Iceland)