Ár­bær Open Air Mu­seum

A World of Ex­per­i­ences

Experience the history at Árbær Open air Museum ©Reykjavík City Museum | Photo: Vigfús Birgisson

Experience the history at Árbær Open air Museum ©Reykjavík City Museum | Photo: Vigfús Birgisson

The Árbær Open Air Museum is Iceland ‘s largest of its kind and home to a fascinating collection of historical buildings, most of which were relocated from Reykjavík’s city centre. Each of the buildings has a story to tell.

©Reykjavík City Museum | Photo: Vísir Newspaper (August 1965).

©Reykjavík City Museum | Photo: Vísir Newspaper (August 1965).

Mu­seum Build­ings

Ex­hib­i­tions

Growing Pains
Árbær Open Air Museum

Grow­ing Pains

The ex­per­i­mental ex­hib­i­tion "Grow­ing Pains" gives you an in­sight into the world of primary school chil­dren in Reyk­javík between 1898 and 1974.

Suðurgata 7 │A Reykjavík home around 1925
Árbær Open Air Museum

Suður­gata 7 │A Reyk­javík home around 1925

Suður­gata 7, built in 1833 in cent­ral Reyk­javík, was en­larged in stages. It has been in its present form since 1883.

Inside the exhibition "Hábær House 1950"
Árbær Open Air Museum

Hábær House 1950

The ex­hib­i­tion Hábær 1950 seeks to shed light on the liv­ing con­di­tions of a poor fam­ily around the year 1950

Consumption – Reykjavík in the 20th century
Árbær Open Air Museum

Con­sump­tion – Reyk­javík in the 20th cen­tury

The ex­hib­i­tion aims to show the huge and rapid changes that took place in con­sump­tion pat­terns in Reyk­javík dur­ing the 20th cen­tury – to ex­plore the factors that af­fected con­sump­tion, and how tech­nical ad­vances, gov­ern­ment ac­tions, wars, and events in Ice­land and abroad in­flu­enced the daily life of the people of Reyk­javík.

The Wheel Age
Árbær Open Air Museum

The Age of Carts

Even though the wheel is a an­cient in­ven­tion it ar­rived late to Iceland. Trans­port over long dis­tances were in prin­ciple the same from the time of set­tle­ment to the 19th cen­tury, namely on horses

Toy Exhibition: Come and play!
Árbær Open Air Museum

Come and play!

The ex­hib­i­tion fo­cuses on chil­dren's cul­ture, toys and games in the last cen­tury. It is housed in a former church and sports hall called Landakot. The ex­hib­i­tion is in­ter­act­ive and it suits chil­dren in all age groups. Open at the same time as the mu­seum.

From High Mass to High Jump
Árbær Open Air Museum

From High Mass to High Jump

The story of the build­ing Landakot is told in the ex­hib­i­tion From High Mass to High Jump. The house was built in 1897 as the first cath­olic church in Ice­land since the Re­form­a­tion. In 1930 it be­came a sportshall and re­mained as such un­til 2004 when it was re­lo­cated to the mu­seum.

Architecture in the Capital │ The History of House Construction
Árbær Open Air Museum

Ar­chi­tec­ture in the Cap­ital │ The His­tory of House Con­struc­tion

The ex­hib­i­tion cov­ers the his­tory of house con­struc­tion and build­ing tech­niques in Reyk­javík dur­ing the period 1840–1940.

The Small Garage
Árbær Open Air Museum

The Small Gar­age

The gar­age is a col­lab­or­at­ive ef­fort between Ár­bær Open Air Mu­seum and Auto­mobile Man­u­fac­tur­ers' As­so­ci­ation / Tin­smith Union in Iceland.

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Events

Árbær Open Air Museum

Guided tour at Árbær Open Air Museum

The guide takes guests to all the main houses of the museum and tells their stories. The guided tour is in English and takes just over an hour.

Guided tour at Árbær Open Air Museum
Árbær Open Air Museum

Come and Play! - Outdoor Games

During the Bank Holiday Weekend, kids can play and learn outdoor games at Árbær Open Air Museum, ride a swing, or try out hula hoops and other toys. At 13:00 and onwards, guests can take part in outdoor games.

Come and Play! - Outdoor Games
Árbær Open Air Museum

The Puppet Car - The Birthday Party at Árbær Open Air Museum

Welcome to Brúðubíllinn's (The Puppet Car's) performance of The Birthday Party, directed by Aldís Davíðs at Árbær Open Air Museum on Monday, 3 August at 14:00. The show will be conducted in Icelandic.

The Puppet Car - The Birthday Party at Árbær Open Air Museum
Árbær Open Air Museum

Unlocking the Collection Spaces! - Registration Required

On Sunday, 9 August at 13:00 and 14:30, there will be an opportunity to join a guided tour of the conservation buildings at Árbær Open Air Museum with the museum's specialists. Spoken language Icelandic. Registration is required and can be completed here: https://outlook.office.com/book/vidburdir_borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is/?ismsaljsauthenabled Museum admission is paid on site.

Unlocking the Collection Spaces! - Registration Required
Árbær Open Air Museum

In Full Bloom - Flower Bouquet Workshop

On Sunday, 16 August at 13:00-16:00, guests will have the chance to acquire a bouquet of flowers freshly picked from the garden. Floral designer Blómdís will teach guests how to design and assemble bouquets using summer flowers grown at the museum this season.

In Full Bloom - Flower Bouquet Workshop
Árbær Open Air Museum

Dairy and Textiles in Days Gone By

Dairy and textiles in days gone by is the theme for Sunday, 30 August. On this day, the staff at Árbær Open Air Museum will be performing various traditional tasks revolving around wool and dairy the old-fashioned way, which is fascinating to observe. For many, these old tasks carry a romantic charm, but feeding and clothing people required many hands-on efforts on the farm.

Dairy and Textiles in Days Gone By
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Venue Hire

Museum Church

Mu­seum Shop

Krambúðin old-style sweet shop

Guided Tour

Guided tour all year round