Skógar Museum

The Skógar Museum, located in the quaint Southern Iceland town of Skógar, houses an extensive collection of over 15,000 items and artifacts belonging and relating to the cultural, natural, and technological history of Iceland.

Housed in three distinct sections—the Folk Museum, the Open Air Museum, and the Technical Museum inside the Transport Museum—the museum has been a hub of local and Icelandic historical items and structures since it was originally opened in 1949.

The Folk Museum contains an extensive collection of artifacts relating to Icelandic fisheries, agriculture, furnishings and handicrafts, and natural history. Notable pieces include the Péturséy fishing boat, a boat crewed by 17 men who sailed from the harborless waters of Southern Iceland, as well as a large collection of Icelandic mammal, insect, bird, reptile, and arachnid specimens held in glass cases and drawers that visitors are invited to explore.

The Open Air Museum contains several historic structures that have been moved to the museum grounds that span styles and centuries in Iceland. Visitors are welcome to go inside turf houses, a schoolhouse dating to the early 1900s, an estate home constructed of driftwood and planks from a shipwreck, and a church that contains pieces from as long ago as the 1600s. Sculptures and small-scale powerhouse structures also sit on the grounds.

The Transport Museum, opened in 2002, contains a dizzying amount of pieces relating to Icelandic transport, communication, and technology, including collections grouped by relation to use, such as skiing, search and rescue, restored vehicles, power generation, and radio communication.

The sheer amount of artifacts contained throughout the museum grounds display the work of a thorough collection curator, and visitors will be struck by numerous pieces that dive deep into their given subject matter rather than simply skimming the surface.

The museum also has a cafe and souvenir shop, located inside the Transport Museum. 

Guided tours are available in multiple languages by reservation.

Additional information including hours, admission prices, and online tickets can be found at www.skogasafn.is.