The Settlement Exhibition

In 2001 building work on Adalstraeti uncovered the wall of a longhouse, and rather than record and remove it the city built the exhibition around it in place, below street level. The hall was lived in from about 930 to 1000, and a fragment of turf wall just north of it lies under a volcanic ash layer dated to 871 with a margin of two years - the layer that gives the exhibition its other name and that archaeologists across the North Atlantic use as a fixed marker. The display around the ruin is largely digital, reconstructing the building and the landscape of the bay before the town. It is small, indoors and open all year, which makes it a reliable wet-weather hour.

History

After trial trenches in the autumn of 2000, the Icelandic Institute of Archaeology began excavating on Aðalstræti in January 2001 and found the oldest evidence of people in Reykjavík: a hall lived in from about 930 to 1000, with its central hearth well preserved, and to the north of it fragments of a turf wall built before the tephra of an eruption dated to 871, plus or minus 2 years, which gave the exhibition its name (Wikipedia, The Settlement Exhibition).

What's there

• A tenth century hall in place - excavated and left where it was found.
• The 871 ash layer - the dated marker beneath the oldest wall.
• Digital reconstruction - the hall and the bay before the town existed.
• An indoor hour - small, central and open year round.

When to go

Year round; a good option in bad weather. One to two hours.

Good to know

The ruin itself is low walls - most of the impression comes from the screens, which some visitors find thin. It is compact and covered in an hour. It gets busy when cruise ships are in. Entry is charged and combined tickets with the other city museums exist.

Nearby

The old harbour and Harpa are minutes away; Hallgrimskirkja is uphill.

Key facts