Reykjavik Maritime Museum

The maritime museum occupies a former fish freezing plant on the old harbour and tells the story that made modern Iceland: trawling, the herring, the growth of Reykjavik from a village to a port. Moored outside is Odinn, a coast guard vessel launched in 1959 that served through all three cod wars - the disputes with Britain over fishing limits in which Icelandic ships cut the trawl warps of foreign boats and vessels rammed each other, and which Iceland effectively won. The ship is toured with a guide at set times and is the strongest part of the visit: engine room, bridge, cabins and the wire cutters themselves.

History

The building went up in 1947 on the Grandi landfill as a fish freezing plant; in 1959 the Reykjavík Municipal Fishing Company bought it and made it one of the largest processors of redfish fillets, and after the plant moved out in 1985 it stood unused for about 20 years. The museum was established in 2005 on the second floor, reopened in June 2008 with four new exhibitions after the ground floor was rebuilt, and expanded again in 2009 (Wikipedia, Reykjavík Maritime Museum).

What you'll find

• A fish plant turned museum - on the working old harbour.
• Odinn at the quay - a coast guard ship from all three cod wars.
• The warp cutters - the tools used against foreign trawlers.
• The making of a port - Reykjavik from village to city.

When to go

Year round; ship tours run at fixed times, so check before arriving. Two hours.

Before you go

Boarding Odinn is only possible on a guided tour at set times and it is the reason to come, so timing matters. Ladders and hatches on board are steep. The indoor exhibition is solid but conventional. Entry to the ship may be extra.

Nearby

Whales of Iceland and the Saga Museum are on the same quay.

Key facts