National Museum of Iceland

The National Museum of Iceland tells the story of the country from the Viking settlement in the ninth century through the coming of Christianity and centuries of hardship to the modern nation. Its centrepiece exhibition, Making of a Nation, follows that thousand-year thread through objects and treasures.

Background

The National Museum of Iceland, in Icelandic Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, is a museum in Reykjavík founded on 24 February 1863. Jón Árnason became the first curator of the Icelandic collection, which until then had been kept in Danish museums. Known as the Antiquarian Collection until 1911, it then took its present name. Before it settled at Suðurgata 41 in 1950, the collection was housed in several attics in Reykjavík, including that of the Culture House, where it spent 40 years. Its permanent exhibition covers the history of Iceland and holds about 2,000 objects.

Source: Wikipedia, "National Museum of Iceland"

What's there

• Making of a Nation - the main exhibition tracing Iceland from settlement to today.
• Viking-age objects - the settlement treasures and everyday finds.
• The Valthjofsstadur door - the famous carved medieval church door.
• Religion and daily life - the objects of faith and survival through the centuries.

When to go

Year-round; a fully indoor museum, ideal for a wet or cold day, and a good grounding in the country's story. Allow a couple of hours.

Good to know

It is a history museum rather than a spectacle, so it rewards curiosity more than those after dramatic sights. It is a good rainy-day option in a country of outdoor wonders. It gives valuable context for the rest of a trip.

Nearby

The university, the pond and central Reykjavik are around; the Settlement Exhibition is nearby.

Key facts