The largest maritime and industrial museum in Iceland

The Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörður is Iceland’s largest maritime and industrial museum. Across three distinct museum buildings, visitors discover the story of herring fishing and processing – the “silver of the sea” that shaped Iceland’s destiny in the twentieth century. The herring industry was so significant that people spoke of it as an adventure, marking the moment when the nation emerged from centuries of poverty and built a modern society.

Róaldsbrakki – the story of herring salting

Róaldsbrakki is a Norwegian herring house from 1907. Much of it remains as it once was, when herring girls lived there throughout the summer. The last herring was salted in the building in 1968. It was restored and opened as a museum in 1994. The ground floor features an exhibition on herring salting with traditional tools and films, while the upper floor explores the export of herring products and the influence of Norwegians on Iceland’s herring industry.

Grána Factory – the herring processing plant

Grána was built in 1999–2000 using timber from an old fishmeal factory. It contains an example of a small herring processing plant from the 1930s, giving visitors insight into the history of the rendering industry, long regarded as Iceland’s first major industrial sector. The exhibition, which opened in 2004, shows how herring was processed into meal and oil for industrial and agricultural use abroad.

The Boathouse – the herring harbour recreated

The Boathouse was built in 2003–2004 and inaugurated by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. It recreates a small part of the herring harbour on a summer evening around 1950, giving visitors a sense of what it was like to walk the Siglufjörður docks in the mid‑twentieth century.

The Salt House

The Salt House is the museum’s newest addition, transported by sea from Akureyri to Siglufjörður in 2014. It houses the museum’s restaurant, Síldarkaffi, where guests can enjoy a variety of herring dishes and homemade pastries. Síldarkaffi is open in line with the museum’s opening hours.

Salting demonstrations and living heritage

For more than thirty years, the Herring Era Museum has hosted salting demonstrations. For many years, herring was salted on the platform outside Róaldsbrakki every Saturday in July, but today such demonstrations are offered throughout the summer for tour groups by arrangement.

Opening hours

• June, July & August: 10:00–17:00
• May & September: 13:00–17:00
• October – April: By appointment

Ten ideas for things to do in Siglufjörður and Eyjafjörður

1. Visit the Folk Music Centre in Siglufjörður (open June–August, 12:00–18:00).
2. Enjoy local food and drinks at one of Siglufjörður’s many fine restaurants.
3. Experience winter in Siglufjörður and the Eyjafjörður region, with four ski resorts and excellent cross‑country, mountain and heli‑skiing.
4. Join a whale watching tour on the beautiful Eyjafjörður fjord with North Sailing.
5. Take the ferry to Hrísey Island, known for rich birdlife and its shark‑hunting history.
6. Relax in a warm, locally brewed beer bath at the Beer Spa in Árskógssandur and enjoy a refreshing Kaldi beer.
7. Explore diverse Icelandic art at the Akureyri Art Museum.
8. Have fun at the Akureyri Swimming Pool, with two pools and three water slides, including Iceland’s longest.
9. Unwind at the Forest Lagoon, a new geothermal spa just minutes from Akureyri.
10. Drive into rural Eyjafjörður south of Akureyri and discover the Christmas House, local museums and cosy restaurants.

For more information and travel tips, visit northiceland.is.