Fishermen's Day 2025
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!
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! We welcome you aboard the historic Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn. 11:00-17:00 // The Icelandic Accident Prevention Association's Coffee sale in the Maritime Museum's Pier Hall 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 Rhythmic accordion music will be filling the Pier Hall, giving you an ideal opportunity to enjoy fishermen's songs and even break into a classic fishermen's waltz.