Skagafjörður Heritage Museum

The Skagafjörður Heritage Museum was founded on May 29, 1948, and is owned by the municipality of Skagafjörður. Its goal is to collect, document, preserve, and research artifacts and archaeological remains of historical significance to the residents of Skagafjörður and to share the knowledge gained. The museum’s exhibitions are located in Glaumbær in Skagafjörður. Its first exhibition, Life in Turf Houses in the 19th Century, opened on June 15, 1952, in the old turf farmhouse at Glaumbær and remains open to visitors today. There, guests can step back in time and experience what daily life was like in the 19th century. There are also exhibitions in two other buildings on the museum grounds: Gilsstofa and Áshús. Gilsstofa houses the Briem Parlor along with temporary exhibitions. Áshús features several smaller exhibitions, including one on national costumes, and also contains the museum café, which serves refreshments similar to those once offered by Icelandic housewives in the 20th century. The museum is very active in the fields of research and outreach and has operated an archaeology department since 2003. The archaeology department organizes and promotes research on cultural heritage in Skagafjörður and beyond, and its reports now number over 300. The museum places strong emphasis on the preservation of traditional crafts, particularly those connected to turf house heritage, and has conducted various studies on turf buildings. The Heritage Craft School is a project founded in 2006, aimed at sharing knowledge and offering courses in traditional building craftsmanship. The school received the Cultural Heritage Protection Award from the Icelandic Heritage Agency in 2023, and close to 400 people have attended its courses over the past two decades. The museum has also published numerous booklets on various topics and two children’s books: A Summer Day at Glaumbær and A Winter Day at Glaumbær, historical novels that offer children and adults alike insights into the lives and work of Icelandic children in the late 19th century.