Even­ing Walk | From Wash­ing Pools to Swim­ming Pools - Icelandic Swim­ming Pool Cul­ture on UN­ESCO's In­tan­gible Cul­tural Her­it­age List

Sigurlaug Dagsdóttir, folklorist at the National Museum of Iceland and the project manager of the Icelandic inventory of living traditions will lead the tour, alongside Helga Maureen Gylfadóttir, historian and head of exhibitions, museum learning and events at the Reykjavík City Museum. The swimming pool culture in Iceland is unique. In the year 2023 it was decided to nominate it towards UNESCO´s intangible cultural heritage list. In December of 2025 UNESCO approved the nomination. Sigurlaug will talk about the history and uniqueness of the swimming pool tradition, discuss the nomination process and the meaning of receiving this status for the tradition, while Helga Maureen will cover the history of the springs (the old washing pools). The tour begins at the springs (the old washing pools) in Laugardalur and will be conducted in Icelandic. The tour lasts about 1,5 hours. This walk is part of the Evening Walks event series, organized by the Reykjavík City Museum, the Reykjavík City Library, the Reykjavík Art Museum, and Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature. The walks take place on Thursdays throughout the summer. All evening walks are free of charge and everyone is warmly welcome.