Vatnsdalur (‘Lake Valley’) is located just south of the Ring Road. As well as being well vegitated, the valley is known for its countless hillocks, one of Iceland’s best salmon river and Vatnsdæla Saga, one of the sagas of the Icelanders. Vatnsdæla chronicles the lives of the valley’s original settlers from Norway and their descendants. Get to know the saga …
Leader Sheep Centre
The Leader Sheep Centre in Þistilfjörður North-Iceland is unique. It is impossible to find a similar museum as Iceland is the only country in the world where Leader Sheep exists. The leadership-sheep breed and Icelandic sheep-herding have been joined by unbreakable bonds since the beginning of settlement in Iceland. They are known best for their leadership characteristics. The Leader Sheep …
The Sheep Farming Museum
The Sheep Farming Museum (established in 2002), just 12 km south of Hólmavík, is an interesting and entertaining exhibition about the Icelandic sheep and sheep farming. The exhibition focuses on providing diverse entertainment for all ages. The children can enjoy themselves in their own room, in which are toys and colour books, while the grown-ups can view the exhibition. The …
Keldur Medieval Turf Farm
Keldur is a historic settlement where Jón Loftsson (1124-1197), the chief of the Oddaverjar clan, lived during the last years of his life. There is a medieval-type turf farm at the site, the only large turf farm that has been preserved in South Iceland. There is an underground tunnel leading from the hall, thought to date from the 12th or 13th …
Hólar in Hjaltadalur
Hólar in Hjaltadalur is a historic place, surrounded by majestic mountains. The site is one of the main centers of culture and education in Iceland for nearly a thousand years. There was a bishop’s seat from 1106 to 1798. There you can find both the University of Hólar and the Hólar Cathedral, which is the oldest stone church in Iceland …
Skyrland in Selfoss
Skyrland exhibition is located in The Old Dairy, part of the newly opened Selfoss Centre. From the first settlers, struggling to survive the freezing winters, to the 21st century kitchen table, skyr is woven through the story of a nation. A journey of sights, scents and tastes, you’ll discover a 1000-year story of how a Viking dairy product became a …
The Wilderness Center
Visiting The Wilderness Center, in Fljótsdalur valley, is an adventure. As soon as guests park their cars and cross the old wooden bridge at the center, they step into the past. Every detail at the premises has been remade in the original style to make the visitor feel as if taking part in an adventure of the past. The buildings, …
Bustarfell Museum
In the beautiful valley, Hofsárdalur, stands the old family seat of Bustarfell. This sod farm, with its red poles and grassy roof, is one of the oldest and best preserved turf house of its kind in Iceland. In 1532, Árni Brandsson and his wife Úlfheiður bought Bustarfell. Since then, the same family has lived there all along. Emphasis is placed …
Agricultural Museum of Iceland
In Hvanneyri, the heart of the Borgarfjörður countryside, you’ll find the Agricultural Museum of Iceland. This is the perfect place to learn about the Icelandic agriculture’s significant history, observe old tools and equipment, and think about farming’s future developments. The museum puts particular emphasis on the early technological era. Among its most notable objects are tools used in Iceland’s first …
Árbær Open Air Museum
Árbær Open Air Museum in Reykjavík is a museum with about 20 houses from different periods, including the old turf farm Árbær. Together, they form a village and countryside. Visitors learn how Reykjavík developed from a few scattered farms into the capital of Iceland. They can walk around the village and enter the old houses for an insight into the …
Laufás Turf Farm
The old turf farm Laufás, on the east coast of Eyjafjörður, is part of the National Museum’s collection of buildings but managed by the Akureyri Museum. There, visitors can learn about traditional Icelandic architecture and country life. The oldest part of the farm dates back to the 16th century, but the current interior has been maintained since the early 1800s. …
Sauðanes House
The old stone house at Sauðanes (Sauðaneshús) is an old church estate 7 km north of the village Þórshöfn. The vicarage, which was built in 1879 from grey basalt which originated far from the area, is the region’s oldest stone house. Today it houses an exhibition showcasing how life was in Langanes during the time when Sauðaneshús was inhabited and …
Snartarstaðir Folk Museum
Snartarstaðir, close to the village Kópasker, is the folk museum of Norður – Þingeyjarsýsla county and presents a unique collection of local objects and handicrafts from the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition is characterized by two different collections; one is the large amount of all sorts of handicrafts, embroidery, woven items, knitted clothing, and other handicrafts, and the other …
Húsavík Museum
The Þingeyjarsýsla County Culture Center encompasses four different but equally fascinating museums. Husavik Museum (Safnahúsið) has two permanent exhibitions. In the Maritime Museum old boats and tools are on display and visitors can watch a documentary to gain insight into the lives and work of fishermen in centuries past. The second one, “Man and Nature – 100 years in Þingeyjarsýslur”, …
East Iceland Heritage Museum
Since reindeer were imported to Iceland in the late 18th century, they have lived wild in East Iceland and significantly impacted the region’s nature and culture. The exhibition in East Iceland Heritage Museum, “Reindeer in East Iceland”, covers their habitat, biology, behaviour, life-cycle and the hazards they face, as well as research, hunting and reindeer products. Visitors can also watch …
Skógar Museum
Skógar Museum actually includes three museum: Folk Museum, Open Air Museum and Technical Museum. The Open Air Museum has a large site, which includes examples of many periods of Icelandic architectural history. It´s forming a village, including an ancient turf farm, a school from the early 20th century and other historic houses. The diverse exhibitions inside the Folk Museum help visitors …
Glaumbær Museum
According to sources, a farm has existed on the land of Glaumbær since the Age of Settlement around 900 AD. One of its most famous residents was Snorri Þorfinnsson, the first European to be born in North America, around 1000. The present buildings vary in age; the most recent addition was built 1876-79 and the oldest in the mid-18th century. …