The nickname has been given to a unique building on a remote Icelandic isle
It only takes one frustrating day at the office or a particularly disastrous commute to inspire dreams of escaping to remote lands and leaving the world behind. At Ellidaey Island, a windswept speck of land south of Iceland’s Vestmann archipelago, that fantasy can come true.
This rocky islet of just under two square miles is uninhabited—unless you count its many puffins—and, thus, there isn’t much infrastructure here. In fact, it seems there’s only a single house. Often spotted by travelers in passing ships, it’s been unofficially dubbed “the loneliest house in the world.” Is it actually?
The history of the home on Ellidaey Island
The home is located on Ellidaey Island, off the coast of Iceland.
Photo: Bruce Yuanyue Bi/Getty Images
There are a number of rumors surrounding Ellidaey Island, though most of them are not true. One of the most popular focuses on Icelandic singer Björk, who some believe lives on the island. While it is true that in 2000, the Iceland Prime Minister did offer the singer an island as a thanks for her contributions to the country’s culture, she turned it down. The confusion perhaps stems from the fact that the island in question is also called Ellidaey, but it’s located in Breiðafjörður, a western bay in Iceland. Another rumor claims that the home was built by a survivalist billionaire to serve as a bunker in the event that zombies take over the world. Others have even claimed that the house does not exist at all and instead the images we see are Photoshop or AI creations.
In fact, the truth behind the house is a little less exciting. In the 1950s, the Ellidaey Hunting Association built the famous white house as a hunting lodge for its members. While it may have hosted hunters for a few nights, the shelter was never actually somebody’s home.
What is it like inside the loneliest house in the world?
While getting to Ellidaey is no easy feat—generally it’s off-limits for everyday tourists—some adventurers have been granted permission to visit. Videos online show the inside the of the lodge, which is decked out in wood paneling, a leather sectional and lounge chairs, as well as plenty of art depicting explorers and other Scandinavian-appearing islands. A number of twin beds line two rooms on the upper level.
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There is only one house—it appears—on Iceland’s Elliðaey island.
Photo: Surangaw/Getty Images
About two years ago, Ryan Trahan, a Youtuber, was able to spend the night in the loneliest house in the world. He connected with a few locals who had access to the island and the home, and they invited Trahan for an overnight stay. The property is as remote as it seems in pictures: The Youtuber’s video captures him and his Icelandic hosts crossing the stormy sea by boat and having to climb up the rocky island to get to the house since there is no dock or port.Once safely at the lodge, he signs a visitor log, which reportedly captures everyone who has set foot inside the house—at the time Trahan visited, the tally was up to 11,265. The guides tell him that everything in the house, from the construction materials to the furniture, was brought in by boat and then carried to the site of the house. Trahan later asks why the solitary house was built, and he receives a surprising answer: There is, in fact, another tiny house nearby, even older that the one he’s standing in. The first house was built by researchers who came to the island to observe the puffin community. It turns out the loneliest house in the world is not quite as lonely as it first appears. For those who were considering Ellidaey Island as a destination to ride out a zombie apocalypse, it seems you have two houses to choose from.