The Herring Era Museum is the largest maritime museum in Iceland, with  five exhibition buildings, 2500 square meters in total.

Róaldsbrakki, a former Norwegian salting station was built in 1907. The ‘brakki’ in itself is a grand monument to the Norwegian influence in the Icelandic herring industry.

On the ground floor there is an exhibition focused on fishing and salting processes. By means of artifacts, historical photographs, and text, the herring era is vividly brought to life. The exhibition continues on the first floor, where attention is given to the export of herring products and the administration of the industry.

On the first floor there are two smaller exhibitions: one concerning the history of herring fisheries elsewhere in Europe, and the other on Norway’s influence on the Icelandic herring industry. Several historic films can be seen and hundreds of photographs are also on display.

In front of Róaldsbrakki there is an old-fashioned pier with work stations for the salting process. Guests can enjoy the performances by the local theatrical group, which demonstrate working methods of the salting stations. These performances allow guests a glimpse of working life on the piers during the Herring Era, and days which often ended with dancing to the accordion.

The Grána fish meal and oil factory is a unique exhibition about an important chapter in the economic and social history of Siglufjörður and Iceland. Visiting this 1930’s – 1950’s era factory, one learns how men and machines transformed herring into meal and oil, and also about the surprising ways in which these valuable products were utilized. The conservation, reassembly, construction and installation of the factory was completed in 2003.

The Boathouse was constructed in 2003-2004 and inaugurated by Crown Prince Håkon of Norway in June 2004. The exhibition in the Boathouse provides an impression of a typical North Iceland herring port during the period from 1938-1954. Eleven boats of various types and sizes lie at the dock, and audio/visual material about the herring fisheries from 1938 is shown. In the lobby visitors see an example of an Icelandic fisherman᾽s store, as well as smaller exhibitions on the harbour in Siglufjörður, marine research and how the herring shoals were located.

Njarðarskemma is a herring warehouse, built in 1930. There we exhibit a variety of items and artifacts related to the technological- and electric part of the herring industry. First, we see the factories spare part garage and the laboratory where daily they monitored the chemical content and quality of the products; meal and oil.
Secondly visitors can learn about the electric power. Each factory was traditionally electrostatic, oil or steam powered.

For over thirty years, the museum has presented salting performances on the deck of Róaldsbrakki – for the longest time every Saturday in July, but nowadays they take place all throughout the summer, according to bookings. These shows have enjoyed great popularity among museum visitors and tourists. The past few years there have been up to fifty performances each summer.

Ten ideas for things to do in Siglufjörður and in Eyjafjörður:

1. Visit the Folk Music Centre in Siglufjörður (open June-August 12-18).
2. Taste the food and drinks in one of the restaurants in Siglufjörður.
3. Visit in the winter and discover the skiing paradise in Siglufjörður and the Eyjafjörður area: Four ski resorts and plenty of opportunities for cross-country, mountain and heli-skiing.
4. Go on a whale watching tour while cruising on the beautiful Eyjafjörður Fjord.
5. Take the ferry to Hrísey Island, an idyllic place in the middle of Eyjafjörður, known for its rich birdlife and shark hunting history.
6. Take an indulging bath in locally brewed craft beer at the Beer Spa in Árskógssandur, while enjoying a cold and refreshing local “Kaldi” beer.
7. Take a look at the diverse and fascinating art on display at the Akureyri Art Museum.
8. The Akureyri swimming pool is a water paradise for the whole family. There are two swimming pools, three new water slides and one of them is the longest in Iceland.
9. Try the Forest Lagoon, new geothermal spa located just couple minutes’ car drive from Akureyri.
10. Drive deeper into rural Eyjafjörður south of Akureyri and discover the Christmas house, museums and restaurants.

For more information and travel tips, go to www.northiceland.is