Reyk­javík City Mu­seum
Our His­tory

Please note that the Reykjavík City Museum and all five of its locations are closed due to extreme weather. We plan to open The Settlement Exhibition in Aðalstræti, the Photography Museum, and the Reykjavík Maritime Museum at 13:00 today, Thursday, 6 February, unless the severe weather continues with a red weather warning. Árbær Open Air Museum will be closed the entire day due to the storm and bad conditions in the museum area.

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Reykjavík City Museum will participate in Museum Night with a diverse programme at The Settlement Exhibition in Aðalstræti, the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, and the Reykjavík Maritime Museum, ensuring there is something interesting for everyone.

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The exhibition opens 17. January

Our locations

Events

Borgarsogusafn.is
Árbær open museum

Guided tour at Árbær Open Air Museum

The guide takes guests to all the main houses of the museum and tells their story.

Guided tour at Árbær Open Air Museum
Fræðsla
Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Fish & folk - Evening Opening on Museum Night

On the occasion of Museum Night, 7 February, there will be an evening opening of the exhibition Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. It will be open from 18:00 to 22:00. Free admission and everyone is welcome.

Fish & folk - Evening Opening on Museum Night
Fræðsla
Reykjavík Maritime Museum

The Látrabjarg Rescue - Film Screening on Museum Night

On the occasion of Museum Night, 7 February, the Reykjavík Maritime Museum will begin screenings of the film The Látrabjarg Rescue by Óskar Gíslason, which was released in 1949. Free admission and everyone is welcome.

The Látrabjarg Rescue - Film Screening on Museum Night
Borgarsogusafn.is
Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Family game on Museum Night

The Reykjavík Maritime Museum welcomes children and their families on Museum Night, February 7th. We have family activity boards with fun games that lead you through the museum‘s permanent exhibition, Fish & Folk. Three different levels of difficulty are available depending on the children's ability and age. Entry is free, and everyone is welcome.

Family game on Museum Night
Safnanótt
The Settlement Exhibition

Reykjavík...the story continues

The Settlement Exhibition in Aðalstræti welcomes guests as usual on Museum Night, offering free admission for all. Just below ground in the main street in the centre of Reykjavík called Aðalstræti, an open excavation uncovers the city's Viking Age history. A new addition to the exhibition was opened in May 2022. This new display is a direct continuation of The Settlement Exhibition, representing Reykjavík's history from settlement to the present day. Accessibility: The museum has good access for people with disabilities. However, the exhibition is dimly lit, and the floor is uneven in several places. Guide dogs are welcome. Buses stop at the City Hall (2 min. walk) and Lækjargata (5 min. walk).

Reykjavík...the story continues
Safnanótt
Reykjavík Museum of Photography

The exhibition Weathered is open on Museum Night!

Welcome to our current exhibition, "Weathered," which comprises the works of FÍSL —The Icelandic Contemporary Photography Association members—as part of the Icelandic Photography Festival 2025. Admission is free on Museum Night!

The exhibition Weathered is open on Museum Night!
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Ex­hib­i­tions

Telma Har│Glam Pics
Reykjavík Museum of Photography
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Telma Har│Glam Pics

The ex­hib­i­tion "Glam Pics" is the title of an ex­hib­i­tion by artist Telma Har­aldsdót­tir in ex­hib­i­tion space Skotið. It con­sists of col­our­ful and semi-sur­real pho­tos that the artist has put to­gether in many ways.

FÍSL – The Icelandic Contemporary Photography Association
Reykjavík Museum of Photography
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Weathered │ FÍSL – The Icelandic Con­tem­por­ary Pho­to­graphy As­so­ci­ation

Weathered: a group ex­hib­i­tions with works by mem­bers of FÍSL are presen­ted in the Reyk­javík Mu­seum of Pho­to­graphy and is part of the Icelandic Pho­to­graphy Fest­ival 2025.

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.

Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries
Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Fish & folk – 150 years of fish­er­ies

The ex­hib­i­tion Fish & folk – 150 years of fish­er­ies at the Reyk­javík Mari­time Mu­seum is about the his­tory of the Icelandic fish­er­ies, from the time when row­ing boats gave way to large fish­ing ves­sels in the late 19th cen­tury, through to the 21st cen­tury.

Milestones by Richard Serra, 1991.
Viðey Island

Mile­stone­s│Richard Serra

For the Reyk­javík Arts Fest­ival of 1990, a work of art by US sculp­tor Richard Serra was crea­ted on West is­land.

The Imagine Peace Tower
Viðey Island

The Ima­gine Peace Tower

Work of art concei­ved by the leg­end­ary art­ist, mu­si­cian and peace ad­voc­ate Yoko Ono as a beacon for world peace.

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.

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