East Iceland Heritage Museum (Minjasafn Austurlands)

About

The East Iceland Heritage Museum was founded in 1943 and since then its aims has been to preserve the history of East Iceland by collecting and preserving things that reflect the society, culture and everyday life of people in the area. The museum has two permanent exhibitions, one about the reindeer in East Iceland and one about the old rural household in the region. The focus of the reindeer exhibition is on the nature, characteristics and survival of the reindeer's as well as hunting and how reindeer products have contributed to a creative development of fashion design and handcraft. In the other exhibition, items that belong to the history of the old rural community in east Iceland as it was until the mid-20th century are on display. Most of the items relate to their practical role in everyday life while other objects bear witness to that life was not only about basic survival but also about making beautiful things for decoration and pleasure. The museum also has diverse temporary exhibitions through the year.

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 30 minutes