Kvennaskólinn

The Icelandic Textile Center is housed in Kvennaskólinn, a historic building jointly owned by the local municipalities and the Icelandic State.

The building was originally home to a Women’s College, established in 1879—one of four such colleges in Iceland. These institutions provided young Icelandic women with access to education, combining traditional academic subjects with practical training in handicrafts and cooking to prepare them for daily life. In its early years, classes were held in private homes in and around Vatnsdalur valley, in the Austur-Húnavatnssýsla district. From 1883 to 1901, the college operated at Ytri-Ey, a farm located between Blönduós and Skagaströnd.

In 1901, the school moved to Blönduós into a newly constructed building designed specifically as a boarding school. In 1911, the original schoolhouse burned down. It was rebuilt the following year, and the current building has stood ever since, now over a century old. The Women’s College officially closed in 1978, but the building continued to serve as office space and a venue for community activities.

Today, Kvennaskólinn houses the Icelandic Textile Center and its Textile Residency, as well as the offices of the Association of Municipalities in Northwest Iceland and Markaðstofa Norðurlands.