Borgarnes Museum, a Community Center, Archives and Library, Borgarnes, Iceland
All of our exhibitions are free to visit and open to everyone.
Opening hours:
Summer (May – August) Monday to Friday: 1 – 6 PM. | Saturday: 11 AM – 3 PM.
Winter (September – April): Monday to Friday 1 – 6 PM
Other opening hours according to pre-arrangement for groups.
Exhibitions on our ground floor:
Oh, To Be a Bird
The bird life in Iceland is one of the many reasons people want to visit our small island. Due to the unspoiled wilderness and a lack of natural predators, Iceland has a vast array of bird species, some migratory and others spending all their days by the Icelandic shores or mountains. The natural museum of Borgarnes, originally based on the life work of two taxidermists, Kristján Geirmundsson and Jón M. Guðmundsson, has specimens of over 205 birds of 116 species, including some that are considered very rare outside of Iceland. It’s one of the few places in Iceland where you can see a white-tailed eagle.
The traditional Turfhouse
Make sure you don’t miss this jewel of our exhibitions, an old baðstofa (living room from a traditional turfhouse) taken down in the 50s at a local farm and rebuilt inside the museum. Traditionally the baðstofa was the multi-functional, main space of a turfhouse. To keep warm, people would gather in a single space to eat, sleep, work and entertain. The room is filled with artifacts from the era, from children´s toys to tools for spinning wool. Step back a century to Iceland´s most traditional housing.
Exhibitions on the first floor:
The Threads of her History
The collection of Borgarfjörður folk museum is in the foreground of this exhibition, along with several works from the Borgarnes Art Museum. The exhibition brings to light beautiful and elaborate artifacts, many with an interresting story behind them – in an environment in which the guests of the exhibition are invited to participate. We hope that our guests will feel the desire to view the exhibition more than once and even see something new every time they visit. The exhibition presents 58 numbered textile objects owned by Borgarfjörður Folk Museum, including an entire collection of embroidery objects, with at least 25 objects within the exhibition.
Curator is Katrín Jóhannesdóttir, textile teacher at Hússtjórnarskólinn Reykjavík (School of Home Management in Reykjavík).
Comments from our visitors (2021)
“I would suggest that anyone traveling through Borgarnes, stop here!”
“Thank you for such a lovely Museum visit. Defenitely one of my new favorite Museums!”
“A must see in Borgarnes. I am an artist and value the heart and soul that felt in this Museum. Also grateful for the professional staff! ”
Borgarnes Museum (Safnahús Borgarfjarðar), Bjarnarbraut 4-6, +433 7200 – safnahus@safnahus.is, www.safnahus.is, Borgarnes Center.