The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies  (Árnastofnun) is an independently funded academic research institute at the University of Iceland, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs. Its role is to conduct research in the field of Icelandic studies and related scholarly disciplines, in particular, Icelandic language and literature; to disseminate knowledge in these fields; and to preserve and augment the collections entrusted to its care.

The Institute has recently moved into Edda, a beautiful new oval-shaped building at Arngrímsgata 5. The building houses Árnastofnun and part of the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies, and it is an international centre for research on and teaching of Icelandic studies.  A wide variety of original materials with significance for Icelandic culture are preserved in Edda, including roughly half of Árni Magnússon’s manuscript collection (which is on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register), documents and charters, place-name records, lexicological records, and an ethnographic archive of audio recordings.

In November 16th 2024 a new permanent exhibition will open in Edda. Visitors will be able to see a selection of medieval Icelandic manuscripts containing precious examples of cultural heritage. Famous saga and poetry manuscripts will be on display, as well as other texts with ideas about life and society that past generations had. The exhibition endeavours to open up the wonderfully diverse world of manuscripts for guests.

Events will be held on a regular basis in association with the exhibition, not least when manuscripts on display are switched out and replaced by others at regular intervals. This is necessary for their conservation as they are sensitive, especially to light.