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).

Map of Árbær Open Air Museum

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.

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.

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.

View all exhibitions

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

Slow Living Weekend

Join us for a Slow Living Weekend 23-24 August. Our staff will be dressed in attire from bygone eras as they demonstrate traditional tasks. Younger visitors can explore our collection of box cars and other outdoor toys for endless entertainment. In the pasture, horses peacefully graze and the Icelandic Settlement Hens run wild around the museum grounds.

Slow Living Weekend
Árbær Open Air Museum

Dairy and Textiles in Days Gone By

Dairy and textiles in days gone by is the theme for Sunday, 31 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.

Dairy and Textiles in Days Gone By
Árbær Open Air Museum

Chess Tournament

The Árbær Open Air Museum and Reykjavik Chess Association hold a grand chess tournament on Sunday, 31 August, starting at 14:00. Seven rounds will be played with a thinking time of 4 minutes plus 2 seconds additional time after each game (4+2). Prizes will be awarded for the top three places, ISK 15,000, 10,000, and 5,000. The tournament will count towards international rapid chess rankings.

Chess Tournament
View all events

Venue Hire

Museum Church

Mu­seum Shop

Krambúðin old-style sweet shop

Guided Tour

Guided tour all year round