Varðskipið Óðinn er hluti af Sjóminjasafninu og um leið ein helsta sýning safnsins. Skipið kom til safnsins árið 2008 og er varðveitt í því ástandi sem það kom. Boðið er upp á leiðsagnir á hverjum degi fyrir utan köldustu vetrarmánuðina auk þess sem skipið er opið gestum á hátíðisdögum sem er þá sérstaklega auglýst. 

Í leiðsögn er gengið um skipið, sagt frá sögu þess, lífinu um borð og því hlutverki sem að það gegndi hjá Landhelgisgæslu Íslands. Hver leiðsögn tekur tæplega klukkustund.

Til þess að tryggja öryggi um borð skal hafa í huga:

Lágt getur verið til lofts og hvassar brúnir og horn sem hægt er að reka sig í. Stigar eru brattir. Skipið hentar ekki fólki sem fær innilokunarkennd eða hefur skerta hreyfigetu. Börn yngri en 12 ára skulu ætíð vera í fylgd með fullorðnum.

Börn eru á ábyrgð forráðamanna.

The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn is a part of the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. It is, as such, one of the Maritime Museum's primary exhibitions. It is preserved in the condition in which it arrived at the museum in 2008.

We offer daily guided tours on board the vessel except during the coldest winter months. It is also open to the public on national holidays, which we announce especially.

A guided tour includes walking around the vessel and hearing about the history on board and its role under the Icelandic Coast Guard. Each guided tour takes a little less than an hour.

To ensure safety on board, you should keep the following in mind:

The ceiling can be low, and please beware of sharp edges. The stairs are steep. The ship is not suited for people with claustrophobia or with reduced mobility.

We offer daily guided tours at 13:00, 14:00, and 15:00 on board the Coast Guard vessel Óðinn from 1 March to 31 October, focusing on the Cod Wars and the vessel's rescue history. Welcome aboard!

The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn - guided tour on board

Við bjóðum daglegar leiðsagnir  kl. 13, 14 og 15 frá 1. mars til 31. október í hinu sögufræga varðskipi Óðni þar sem þorskastríðin og björgunarsaga skipsins eru í brennidepli. Velkomin um borð!

Varðskipið Óðinn - leiðsögn um borð

Leiðsögn

Árbæjarsafn er útisafn sem var stofnað árið 1957 en auk Árbæjar eru þar yfir tuttugu hús, sem mynda torg, þorp og sveit. Í Árbæjarsafni er leitast við að gefa hugmynd um byggingalist og lifnaðarhætti í Reykjavík á 19. og 20. öld. Hvert og eitt hús geymir annaðhvort sjálfstæða sögusýningu eða þá að þar er sýnt dæmigert heimili frá ákveðnu tímabili. Á safninu má einnig sjá gamaldags verkstæði ýmiskonar þar sem sjá má dæmigerða aðstöðu, tækni og tól.

Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open-air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik. The Museum seeks to give an idea of Reykjavik's architecture and way of life in the 19th and 20th centuries. Each house contains an independent historical exhibition or a typical home from a specific period. The museum also houses old-fashioned workshops on typical facilities, technology, and tools.

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

Leiðsögumaður fer með gesti í öll helstu hús Árbæjarsafns og segir frá sögu þeirra. Leiðsögnin fer að mestu fram á ensku og tekur rúma klukkastund.

Leiðsögn á Árbæjarsafni

Við nánari athugun virðist búa meira að baki því að gefa og þiggja mat úr frískáp en einungis að draga úr matarsóun. Þessar athafnir eru nátengdar samkennd og tilfinningum.

Rannsóknin sem gerð var á tímabilinu 2021-2023 miðaði að því að rannsaka tilfinningalega upplifun þeirra sem gefa reglulega í frískápana og skoða hvaða merkingu fólk leggur í þá iðkun.

Hluti rannsóknarinnar var heimildarmyndin Samkenndarskápar þar sem vakin er athygli á rískápum, tilgangi og stöðu þeirra í almannarými. Í lok erindisins verður myndin sýnd en hún hlaut verðlaun sem besta heimildarverkið á kvikmyndahátíðinni Stockfish árið 2024.

Viðburðurinn er haldinn í góðu samstarfi Borgarsögusafns og Félags þjóðfræðinga á Íslandi.

Þarftu táknmálstúlkun?
Í ár verður sá háttur á að þau sem óska eftir táknmálstúlk hafa samband sjálf við Samskiptamiðstöð heyrnarlausra og heyrnarskertra. Þetta verður í boði á völdum viðburðum. Samskiptamiðstöð sendir svo reikning beint á Borgarsögusafn Reykjavíkur.

Aðgengi fyrir hreyfihamlað fólk í Aðalstræti er gott. Hjálparhundar eru velkomnir í safnið.
Strætisvagnar: Næstu stoppistöðvar heita MR og Ráðhúsið (2-5 mín. gangur).

Upon closer inspection, it seems that there is more to giving and receiving food from a freedge than simply reducing food waste. These activities are closely linked to empathy and emotions.

The study, conducted during the period 2021-2023, aimed to investigate the emotional experiences of those who regularly donate to freedges and examine what meaning people attach to this practice.

Part of the research was the documentary Empathfridges, which draws attention to the importance of freedges, their purpose and their place in public space. At the end of the talk, the film will be screened, which won the award for best documentary at the Stockfish Film Festival in 2024.

The event is presented in collaboration between the Reykjavík City Museum and the Icelandic Folklorists’ Association.

Accessibility:
The Aðalstræti venue is wheelchair accessible. However, please note that the lighting inside the Settlement Exhibition is quite dim, and parts of the floor are uneven. Service dogs are welcome in the museum.
Public Transport: The nearest bus stops are MR and Ráðhúsið (a 2-5 minute walk). 
Parking: We recommend parking at Ráðhúsið (City Hall) and the parking garage on Vesturgata.

EMPATHFRIDGES: A STORY OF FREEDGES AND INVISIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS is the title of the  third lecture in the Tuesday Threads series, held at The Settlement Exhibition, Aðalstræti, on 27 May at 16:00. Free entry – all are welcome!
Please note: The lecture will be in Icelandic.

This time, ethnologist Rakel Jónsdóttir will present her recent research on freedgess in Iceland. Freedges are shared refrigerators located outdoors in public spaces where anyone can bring food to put in the refrigerators and also pick up the food they want.

Tuesday Threads - Empathfridges: A story of freedges and invisible family members

Þann 27. maí kl. 16:00-17:00 verður flutt þriðja erindið í fyrirlestraröðinni Þriðjudagsþræðir á Landnámssýningunni Aðalstræti. Ókeypis inn og öll velkomin! 

Í þetta sinn mun Rakel Jónsdóttir þjóðfræðingur kynna nýlega rannsókn sína á frískápum á Íslandi, SAMKENNDARSKÁPAR: AF FRÍSKÁPUM OG ÓSÝNILEGU HEIMILISFÓLKI. Frískápar eru deili-ísskápar sem eru staðsettir utandyra í almannarými en þangað getur hver sem er komið með mat til þess að setja í ísskápana og sömuleiðis sótt sér þann mat sem það vill.

Þriðjudagsþræðir - Samkenndarskápar: Af frískápum og ósýnilegu heimilisfólki

Fræðsla

Fyrirlestur

Kl. 10:00-17:00 // Ókeypis inn á Sjóminjasafnið í Reykjavík

Grunnsýning Sjóminjasafnsins, „Fiskur & fólk: Sjósókn í 150 ár“ fjallar um sögu fiskveiða á Íslandi, frá því árabátarnir viku fyrir stórskipaútgerð á síðustu áratugum 19. aldar og allt fram yfir aldamótin 2000. Sagan er sögð frá sjónarhóli stærsta útgerðarbæjar landsins, Reykjavíkur, og sett fram á lifandi hátt með gripum og textum, myndum og leikjum. Sýningin er byggð kringum aðalpersónu þessarar sögu: Fiskinn sjálfan. Honum er fylgt eftir úr hafinu í netið, um borð í bátinn og að landi, í gegnum vinnslu – og loks á diskinn.

Glöggt er gests augað er ný sýning í Vélasalnum en sýningin er tileinkuð sögufrægum Íslandsleiðöngrum franska sjóherlæknisins og náttúruvísindamannsins Paul Gaimard árin 1835 og 1836.
Hingað sigldi Gaimard á herskipinu La Recherche í leit að skipinu La Lilloise sem aðstoða átti franska sjómenn við Íslandsstrendur en hafði horfið sporlaust. Ásamt valinkunnum hópi fræðimanna nýtti hann ferðina til að rannsaka og skrásetja menningu, mannlíf og náttúru á þessari afskekktu eyju á norðurhjara. Afrakstur leiðangursins: ferðarit og dagbækur þeirra Paul Gaimard, Eugéne Robert og Xavier Marmier, sem og 200 teikningar Auguste Mayer, eru ómetanleg heimild um Ísland á 19. öld og lykilþáttur í mótun menningararfs okkar.
Að sýningunni standa nemendur í Hagnýtri menningarmiðlun við Háskóla Íslands, í samstarfi við Borgarsögusafn Reykjavíkur. Sérstakur ráðgjafi sýningarinnar er Sumarliði Ísleifsson, doktor í sagnfræði og höfundur bókarinnar Í Fjarska norðursins.

Kl. 13:00-16:00 // Varðskipið Óðinn – Allir upp á dekk! Hægt verður að stíga um borð í Varðskipið Óðin.

Kl. 11:00-17:00 // Reykjavíkurdeild Slysavarnafélagsins Landsbjargar verður með ljúffengar veitingar til sölu til styrktar sínu mikilvæga starfi í Bryggjusal Sjóminjasafnsins.

Kl. 13:00-15:00 // Taktföst harmonikkutónlist fyllir Bryggjusalinn - Tilvalið tækifæri til að hlýða á sjómannalögin og jafnvel stíga sjómannavals.

Aðgengi: Gangstígar á safnsvæðinu eru flestir malarstígar. Inn í flest húsin er gengið upp eitt þrep eða yfir þröskuld. Hjálparhundar eru velkomnir í safnið.
Strætisvagnar: Næsta stoppistöð heitir Árbæjarsafn (1 mín. gangur). Aðrar nálægar stoppistöðvar heita Laxakvísl og Fagribær (5-6 mín. gangur).
Bílastæði fyrir hreyfihamlaða eru við inngang safnsins.
Öll bílastæði eru ókeypis.

10:00-17:00 // Free admission to the Reykjavík Maritime Museum

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.
This rich history is told from the perspective of Iceland’s biggest fishing port, Reykjavík. The Maritime Museum’s setting is an appropriate one, as the building once housed a flourishing fish factory.
The value of fish to the Icelandic nation cannot be overstated. Over the centuries fish has been a staple of the Icelandic diet, and one of the nation’s most important exports. The Fish & Folk exhibition is built around the central character of this history: the fish itself. The fish is followed from the ocean, into the net, on board the boat, onto dry land and to its final destination – the plate.

A View of the North is a new exhibition in the Engine Room, dedicated to the historic Icelandic expeditions of the French naval doctor and naturalist Paul Gaimard in 1835 and 1836.
Gaimard sailed here on the warship La Recherche in search of the ship La Lilloise, which was supposed to assist French sailors off the coast of Iceland but had disappeared without a trace. Together with a select group of scholars, he used the trip to research and document the culture, human life and nature on this remote island in the far north. The results of the expedition: the travelogues and diaries of Paul Gaimard, Eugéne Robert and Xavier Marmier, as well as 200 drawings by Auguste Mayer, are an invaluable source of information about Iceland in the 19th century and a key element in shaping our cultural heritage.
The exhibition is curated by students in applied studies in culture and communication at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the Reykjavík City Museum. The exhibition's special advisor is Sumarliði Ísleifsson, PhD in History and author of the book In the Far North.

13:00-16:00 // Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn – All aboard!

11:00-17:00 // The Reykjavík branch of the Icelandic Accident Prevention Association Landsbjörg will have delicious refreshments for sale to support their important work in the Maritime Museum's Pier Hall.

13:00-15:00 // Accordion music in the Maritime Museum's Pier Hall

Accessibility: The museum’s footpaths are mainly gravel. Many historic houses have steps and thresholds. Service dogs are welcome.
Public Transport:
Nearest bus stop: Árbæjarsafn (1-minute walk).
Other stops: Laxakvísl and Fagribær (5–6 minutes away).
Free parking, including blue-badge parking spots opposite the entrance, is available.

On the occasion of Fishermen's Day, the Reykjavík Maritime Museum is offering free admission to the museum's exhibitions and Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn. The Landsbjörg Accident Prevention Association will also be selling delicious refreshments in the Pier Hall to support its important work, accompanied by accordion music. Everyone is welcome!

Fishermen's Day 2025

Í tilefni Sjómannadagsins býður Sjóminjasafnið í Reykjavík ókeypis aðgang að sýningum safnsins og Varðskipinu Óðni. Einnig verður Slysavarnarfélagið Landsbjörg með kaffisölu í Bryggjusal Sjóminjasafnsins til styrktar sínu mikilvæga starfi og það með harmonikkuundirleik. Verið hjartanlega velkomin!

Sjómannadagurinn 2025

Sýning

Við hvetjum gesti til að koma gangandi, hjólandi eða með almenningssamgöngum.
Ókeypis inn og öll velkomin!
Aðgengi: Gangstígar á safnsvæðinu eru flestir malarstígar. Inn í flest húsin er gengið upp eitt þrep eða yfir þröskuld. Hjálparhundar eru velkomnir í safnið.
Strætisvagnar: Næsta stoppistöð heitir Árbæjarsafn (1 mín. gangur). Aðrar nálægar stoppistöðvar heita Laxakvísl og Fagribær (5-6 mín. gangur).
Bílastæði fyrir hreyfihamlaða eru við inngang safnsins.
Öll bílastæði eru ókeypis.

Lilli, Dúskur, Dónadúskur, Dúskamamma, the troll under the bridge, and the animals of Africa will all be there to sing and dance for us.
Free admission – everyone is welcome!
Accessibility: The museum’s footpaths are mainly gravel. Many historic houses have steps and thresholds. Service dogs are welcome.
Public Transport:
Nearest bus stop: Árbæjarsafn (1-minute walk).
Other stops: Laxakvísl and Fagribær (5–6 minutes away).
Free parking, including blue-badge parking spots opposite the entrance, is available.

After a four-year break, The Puppet Car is back and will premiere the play "Playing with Colours" at Árbær Open Air Museum on Tuesday, 3 June, at 14:00.

The Puppet Car returns!

Brúðubíllinn snýr aftur eftir 4 ára pásu og frumsýnir leikritið „Leikið með liti“ á Árbæjarsafni þriðjudaginn þann 3. júní kl. 14.
Þá munu Lilli, Dúskur, Dónadúskur, Dúskamamma, tröllið undir brúnni og dýrin í Afríku mæta á svæðið og syngja og dansa fyrir okkur.

Brúðubíllinn snýr aftur!

Sólrún Inga Traustadóttir, stjórnandi rannsóknarinnar, ásamt Björk Magnúsdóttur, fornleifafræðingi, munu leiða gesti og gangandi um uppgraftarsvæðin á bæjarstæðinu og segja frá fornleifum og gripum sem hafa komið í ljós.

Leiðsögninni lýkur á sýningu um rannsóknina í einu safnhúsanna þar sem boðið verður upp á kaffi og kleinur.

Aðgengi: Gangstígar á safnsvæðinu eru flestir malarstígar. Inn í flest húsin er gengið upp eitt þrep eða yfir þröskuld. Hjálparhundar eru velkomnir í safnið.
Strætisvagnar: Næsta stoppistöð heitir Árbæjarsafn (1 mín. gangur). Aðrar nálægar stoppistöðvar heita Laxakvísl og Fagribær (5-6 mín. gangur).
Bílastæði fyrir hreyfihamlaða eru við inngang safnsins.
Öll bílastæði eru ókeypis.

Director of the research, Sólrún Inga Traustadóttir and archeologist Björk Magnúsdóttir will lead visitors and pedestrians through the excavation areas at the farmstead and talk about the archaeological remains and artifacts that have been uncovered.

The tour will end in an exhibition about the research in one of the museum buildings, where coffee and Icelandic "kleina" will be served.

Accessibility: The museum’s footpaths are mainly gravel. Many historic houses have steps and thresholds. Service dogs are welcome.
Public Transport:
Nearest bus stop: Árbæjarsafn (1-minute walk).
Other stops: Laxakvísl and Fagribær (5–6 minutes away).
Free parking, including blue-badge parking spots opposite the entrance, is available.

The archaeological research The Ancient Roots of Árbær, which is currently underway at the Árbær farmstead, will be presented on Thursday, 5 June at 20:00. Free admission and all are welcome!

Ancient Roots - Presentation of the Archaeological Research at the Árbær farmstead

Fornleifarannsóknin Fornar rætur Árbæjar, sem stendur yfir á bæjarstæði Árbæjar, verður kynnt fimmtudaginn 5. júní kl. 20. Ókeypis inn og öll velkomin!

Fornar rætur - Kynning á fornleifarannsókn á bæjarstæði Árbæjar

Steingrímur Hermannsson, prime minister with drag queens on election night, 20 April 1991

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

Gunnar V. Andrésson Press Photographer  │Half a Century Through the Lens

Telma Har│Glam Pics 

Árbær Open Air Museum

Growing Pains

Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries

Viðey Island

Milestones│Richard Serra

The Imagine Peace Tower

Consumption – Reykjavík in the 20th century

The Age of Carts

Come and play!

From High Mass to High Jump 

Aðalstræti

The Christian celebration of Christmas in ancient times, and right up until the 19th century, was not lavish, as Christmas was not the big celebration we see today.  It was an important Church day, but Easter was considered much more significant, as were Whitsun and Ascension Day.  The resurrection and the message were considered more important than the birth.

But Christmas was still a holiday, people indulged in food and drink, if they could.  Farms were cleaned, candlelight was lit, and sometimes there were games or dancing, although the church didn't quite approve of it.


Most people are familiar with the old custom of sending Christmas cards.  Although the cards have changed over time, their purpose has not changed – to connect people, families, relatives and friends and to wish happiness. In Iceland, Christmas cards became very important in the first half of the 20th century when people moved from the countryside to Reykjavík. In centuries before, Christmas greeting letters were better known abroad, which then changed and were shortened into a card because it was simpler and faster. In Iceland, the first Christmas cards came on the market just before the turn of the century and they were from Denmark and Germany. Many artists welcomed it for drawing and painting various images of Santa Claus and gifts on Christmas cards, which over time became a large industry.

Following the digitization of our time, this custom has, unfortunately in the opinion of many, moved more and more into computers and devices, and people send Christmas greetings and pictures to each other on social media.

Family sitting at a dining table, 1939-1940. Photo Óskar Gíslason

Many people probably had Iceland’s traditional “hangikjöt”, smoked lamb, which was a festive food, but not necessarily limited to Christmas as it is today.  Potatoes then began to appear from the 1800s, but modern side dishes such as red cabbage, green beans and the white "Bechamel" sauce came from Denmark and began to appear at the end of the 19th century.

The same can be said about glazed ham, which is a very Danish food that became popular in the first half of the 20th century, and we can also thank the Danes for the "Ris a la mande".

But we have the Icelandic leaf bread all to ourselves and this is not known in the other northern countries.  There are records of it at the beginning of the 19th century and it seems to have been on tables on various occasions, not just Christmas. 


Another thing we also have that is very Icelandic is the Christmas drink "Malt & appelsín", which is malt and orange soda.  There are malt drinks in many countries, as well as orange drinks, but Iceland seems to be the only place where these were deliberately mixed to bring out a certain taste.

This started in 1955 when _Egils appelsín_ first came on the market. Malt extract had been produced for 32 years and was considered good but was more expensive than other sodas.  It was therefore ideal to drink it with the orange mixture, although many people also put Coca-Cola in this mixture.


According to custom, a Christmas tree was supposed to be evergreen, which in central Europe, Great Britain and Denmark was of course a spruce tree, as it was quite elegant.  But in Iceland we weren’t as lucky, as spruce did not start to be planted here until the late 19th century, and it was both expensive and difficult to transport them to the country.

What many Icelanders did instead was to build themselves a Christmas tree and decorate it with evergreen plants such as heather or juniper branches.  Small candles were then placed on these homemade trees to light up living rooms all over the country.

Sometime later, or in the first half of the 20th century, the import of spruce trees, but also artificial trees from Germany, began.  These artificial trees became very popular and were used even between generations in the 20th century.


As for Christmas decorations, they came late and also originate from Denmark, Germany or Sweden. Candlelight was considered a decent decoration at the time when Icelanders lit up the short day with cod liver oil lamps, but Christmas trees were not known here until the 1850s, and then by Danish or Danish-educated officials.

The tree decorations, or Christmas balls, also originally came from Germany.  These were usually spheres made of razor-thin glass, and this type of glass had been used out there for many centuries.

Other Christmas decorations, both bought and homemade, were for example Christmas bags and came from Denmark. Likewise, the advent lights, which became very popular in the 1970s, but which originally came to the country from Sweden.


Anyhow, there is one Christmas decoration, which is a bit special and could have a Swedish model, although it is difficult to judge that.  There are the small Christmas churches that existed in many Icelandic homes in the middle and second half of the 20th century, but churches in Iceland are very significant in our architectural history. 

These were small models of churches, decorated with cotton on the roofs and towers and usually with a light bulb inside.  These Christmas churches are not sold out of a store but always homemade, but despite that, there were very many of them and they are possibly still in homes around the country.

This custom is still maintained today and the execution has changed in line with technological progress, as 3D printing has become popular for such works.



There is also one Christmas tradition that we’ve become from abroad, but that is giving gifts in the shoes.  The custom most likely originates from legends of Saint Nicholas, who was said to be generous.  But the custom of children receiving small gifts in socks, shoes or other small items existed in central Europe at the end of the Middle Ages and spread from there throughout the Western world.

These gifts usually come only once, on Christmas night.  The same thing happened in Iceland when the custom began to appear in the 1930s, but it changed over the years because here we have many Santa Clauses and not just one (called the Yule lads).

Around and after the 1970s, Icelandic children began to have their shoes filled thirteen times, and therefore profited greatly from these special Icelandic conditions.


Christmas Cards and Traditions

Jón Páll Björnsson 
##### - Project Manager, Children's Culture and Museum Learning


Jóhanna Guðrún Árnadóttir 
##### - Project Manager, Digital Media Content and Exhibitions

Christmas Cards and Traditions

Christmas Cards

Christmas dinner

Malt & Orange Soda

Christmas tree

Christmas decorations

The Small Christmas Churches

“To give in the shoe”

Christ­mas Cards and Tra­di­tions

Christ­mas Cards

Christ­mas din­ner

Malt & Or­ange Soda

Christ­mas tree

Christ­mas dec­or­a­tions

The Small Christ­mas Churches

“To give in the shoe”

Christmas Cards and Traditions

Christmas Cards

Christmas dinner

Malt & Orange Soda

Christmas tree

Christmas decorations

The Small Christmas Churches