Dalir district is a family-friendly place to visit, combining historical and cultural attractions with an enchanting world of wildlife and nature. It is the ideal place to spend a few days away from the hustle and bustle of city life, to relax,slow down, be outdoors, discover, and learn. When you enter Dalir in West Iceland you come into region of …
Oddi in Rangárvellir
Oddi in Rangárvellir is one of the main historical sites in Iceland, and there has been a church there since in the 11th century. The most famous of the Oddi clan was Sæmundur ‘the wise’ Sigfússon (1056-1133), who studied in Paris. Various legends have been created about Sæmundur. Then he was probably the first Icelandic historian that wrote a book …
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 …
The Institute of Archaeology
The Institute of Archaeology (Instarch) was established 1995. From the start the institute has aimed to provide high quality research and project outputs in Icelandic archaeology. It´s innovative survey technique has proved successful in Iceland by integrating place names, ethnography, historical documents, and archaeological information into a single database, Ísleif. The institute also aim to bridge the research and commercial …
The Cultural Heritage Agency
The main role of The Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland is to assure, so far as practicable, the preservation of cultural heritage in its natural environment, to facilitate and promote public access and knowledge of such heritage. Cultural heritage includes evidence of the nation’s history such as archaeological heritage, cultural landscape, church relics, memorials, buildings and other structures, ships and …
Hofsstaðir Historic Park
An impressive Viking-Age longhouse stood at Hofsstaðir from the Settlement period (AD 870-930) until the twelfth century. The historic park aims to give an impression of Hofsstaðir at that time: turf walls show the outer limit of the longhouse during its final phase, and remains of a large enclosure have been left untouched. Excavations were carried out at Hofsstaðir in …
The Settlement Exhibition in Aðalstræti
Just below ground in Aðalstræti 16 in downtown Reykjavík, this open excavation uncovers the city’s Viking Age history. Discovered during building work in 2001, these archaeological remains turned out to be the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city, with some dating to before AD 871±2. Careful excavation revealed a 10th-century hall or longhouse, which is now preserved in …
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 …
Skriðuklaustur Cultural Center
The drive along Fljótsdalur (“river valley”) is a bit like travelling back in time. Skriðuklaustur in Fljótsdalur valley is a historical site with the ruins of a 16th century monastery which was revealed in an archaeological excavation in the years 2002-2012. It was an Augustinian cloister, established around 1493 and in function until the reformation in 1550. The cloister was …
Eldheimar – Volcano Museum
Imagine what it was like waking up in the middle of the night to a volcanic eruption in your town! Eldheimar, a volcano museum of remembrance in Westman-Islands, traces the story of the 1973 eruption with a powerful and moving interactive exhibition. Almost all the inhabitants of Heimaey, over 5.000 people, had to leave their homes in the middle of …
Snorrastofa in Reykholt
Snorrastofa is an independent research centre established in 1995. The centre is located in Reykholt in western Iceland, the main residence of Iceland’s greatest medieval writer, poet, scholar and statesman, Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241). Its main task is to instigate and conduct research on the medieval period in general, and Snorri and his works in particular. It is one of Iceland’s …