National Museum of Iceland
Iceland's national collection, tracing the country's history from settlement to the present day.
The National Museum of Iceland was founded in 1863 as the Antiquarian Collection, after the antiquarian Sigurður Guðmundsson argued that Icelandic artefacts should be kept in the country rather than sent to Copenhagen. The collection moved through several temporary homes, including the attic of the cathedral and the parliament building, before a purpose-built museum beside the University of Iceland was completed in 1950. The building was extensively refurbished between 1998 and 2004, when the permanent display was rebuilt around a single chronological route.
The permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation, follows Icelandic history from the settlement in the ninth century to the airport arrivals hall of the present day, using around two thousand objects and hundreds of photographs. Among the best-known items are the carved Valþjófsstaður church door, the small bronze figure from Eyrarland often read as the god Thor, and a medieval sculpture of the Virgin Mary. The museum also holds the national photographic collection and manages several historic turf buildings elsewhere in Iceland.
Highlights
- Making of a Nation: permanent display covering 1,200 years of history
- The carved medieval Valþjófsstaður church door
- The Eyrarland bronze figure, often identified as the god Thor
- Photographic archive and rotating temporary exhibitions
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