Lava Centre

The Lava Centre opened in 2017 at Hvolsvollur, chosen because the village sits within reach of Hekla, Katla, Eyjafjallajokull and the Vestmannaeyjar system, several of which have caused serious damage in living memory or recorded history. The exhibition explains the plume beneath Iceland, the spreading ridge and the mechanics of eruptions through installations rather than object cases - a corridor representing an ash column, a shaking floor, screens tracking live seismic data from the systems around. There is a cinema with eruption footage, an observation platform looking towards the volcanoes, and a hall of monitoring equipment.

What's there

• Live seismic data - from the systems around the village.
• Immersive installations - ash column corridor, shaking floor, eruption film.
• The plume and the ridge explained - why Iceland is where it is.
• A platform facing the volcanoes - Hekla and Eyjafjallajokull from the roof.

When to go

Year round; it works well as a wet-weather stop on the south coast. Two hours.

Things to know

There are almost no historical objects - this is an interpretation centre, and people expecting a museum collection may be disappointed. Entry is expensive by Icelandic museum standards. Some effects are loud and dark. Views from the platform depend entirely on cloud.

Nearby

The Saga Centre is in the same village; Seljalandsfoss is east.