Akranes Folk Museum opened the doors to a new and renovated exhibition in the spring of 2021 and was the exhibition nominated for the Icelandic Museum Awards 2022. The exhibition discovers everyday life in Akranes and Hvalfjarðarsveit and the development from a farmers and fishing village in the 17th century to a modern day society in the 21st century. The exhibition …
Ósvör Maritime Museum
On the seaside of Bolungarvík is the Ósvör Maritime Museum, a fascinating exhibit built on the ruins of old fishing huts from the 19th century. Lovingly restored, its highlight is a replica of a six-man rowing boat, Ölver, among the oldest of its kind in the country. The museum also features a salt house, fish sheds, a fish drying area …
The Fishermen’s Garden
Hellissandur is one of the oldest fishing villages in Iceland. In the olden times, there was a big fishing centre there, with some 60 seasonal fishermen’s huts back in the year 1700. The Fishermen’s Garden was established by local fishermen in 1977-78 and depicts the way fishermen lived and worked. There is both a Maritime Museum and a Fishermen’s Garden …
Hnjótur Museum
Hnjótur Museum in Örlygshöfn in Patreksfjörður, displays a unique collection of old items from the Southern Westfjords. The museum shows the history of fishing, farming and everyday life in the area. At the museum is an exhibition about the heroic rescue of the British trawler Dhoon that stranded at Látrabjarg cliffs in 1947. At the site is also cafeteria, souvenir …
The Herring Era Museum
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 …
The Heritage Museum at Garðskagi
The Heritage Museum at Garðskagi (Byggðasafnið á Garðskaga) is located in a beautiful museum area by Garðskagaviti Lighthouse in Suðurnesjabær, on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the unique Reykjanes Geopark. There is a panoramic view in all directions, hiking trails by the shore, diverse bird life and the sea in its ever-changing form and whales often seen close to the shore. …
Westfjords Heritage Museum
The Westfjords Heritage Museum is situated at the tip of the small spit on which the town of Ísafjörður is located. The museum building is one of four 18th century houses that have been renovated and are now amongst the town’s biggest tourist attritions. The town of Ísafjörður was established and based on the fishing industry; therefore it is only …
Ísafjörður Guide
Ísafjörður walk – a journey through time Ísafjörður, the capital of the Westfjords, has a well-preserved town center with houses from the 19th century that reflect, among other things, the fishing and trading history of the place and the people who lived there. The guide who is dressed like a 19th century fish worker will meet you at the tourist …
Hafnarfjörður Museum
The Hafnarfjörður Museum hosts seven exhibitions in. In Pakkhúsið (The Storage House), The Sívertsen House, the Bookless Bungalow, Siggubær (House of Sigga), Beggubúð (Store of Begga), Guttó and on Strandstíg (Coastal path). At the exhibition „That’s how it was…“ in Pakkhúsið, the history of Hafnarfjörður and its surroundings is traced from the settlement to the present day with the help …
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
The Reykjavík Maritime Museum bears witness to the importance of fishing in Icelandic history; the museum building used to be a thriving fish factory. The new permanent and recent exhibition, “Fish & Folk – 150 years of fisheries,” covers fishing off Iceland since rowboats were replaced by large fishing vessels in the last decades of the 19th century and the …
Duus Museum
The Duus Museum Hub consists of a series of buildings that reflect the rich history and culture of the area. The oldest building, Bryggjuhúsið (The Pier House), was constructed by Duus Trading Company in 1877, while the newest building dates back to 1954. These former trading and fish processing houses have been renovated and now host exhibition spaces for the …
Akureyri Museum
The Akureyri Museum is located in a historic building in the oldest part of Akureyri. Outside is an old country church in a beautiful ornamental garden. Various exhibitions are held at the museum to shed light on the town’s history, including its musical heritage. The former homes of the children’s book author and priest Jón Sveinsson (Nonni) and the national …
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”, …
Sagnheimar, Westman Islands
Sagnheimar is a complex of museums scattered around town, including a folk museum and natural history museum. Inside the folk museum there is a pier where visitors can listen to stories of sea accidents, search and rescue, sailor songs, and observe a bait shed and a bird hunters’ hut. The museum gives a good insight into the unique history of …
Langabúð in Djúpivogur
Built in 1790 (the northern part in 1850), Langabúð is the oldest house in Djúpivogur and one of the country’s oldest standing commercial buildings. The present building was erected on older foundations which were located where the Djúpivogur trading post had always been since it was opened by German merchants in 1589. Langabúð now facilitates an interesting heritage museum, and …
Hornafjörður Museums
Within the Hornafjörður Cultural Center, there are the museums of the Municipality of Hornafjörður: the regional, maritime, and natural history museum, Svavarssafn- Art Museum, library and the district archives. Svavarssafn – Art museum. Svavar Guðnason, an abstract painter, was born in Höfn in Hornafjörður in 1909. He is considered one of the most important painters in Iceland in the 20th …
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 …
Árnessýsla Heritage Museum
History comes to life at Árnessýsla Heritage Museum’s diverse exhibitions in Eyrarbakki, Southwest Iceland. The Museum is made up of different historical houses which tell the story of Eyrarbakki’s inhabitants. Eyrarbakki is on the edge of the Golden Circle. Húsið, or “The House,” earned this simple title because when it was constructed in 1765, it towered above the surrounding huts …