Technical Museum

The Technical Museum of East Iceland was founded in Seyðisfjörður in 1984 with the mission to collect, document, and present objects that reflect the region’s technological development, industrial history, and social changes, with a special focus on Seyðisfjörður. The museum’s main fields of collection relate to the telegraph, machine workshops, electrification, and construction, and it also preserves artefacts connected to the broader history of the town. The museum’s first exhibition, on the arrival of the telegraph in Seyðisfjörður, opened in 1995 in the Old Telegraph Station. From the early 2000s onward, the museum’s activities expanded — a director was appointed, and several new exhibitions were launched. The museum’s policy emphasized maintaining technical knowledge and encouraging the use and restoration of historical equipment where appropriate. The annual Smiðjuhátíð (Workshop Festival), held each July for many years, became a well-loved local event. In December 2020, the museum faced a turning point when a major landslide struck, destroying part of its buildings and collection. In the aftermath, extensive rescue work was undertaken to recover, clean, and catalogue surviving artefacts. An enormous task of registering the museum collection still awaits. This event also prompted a thorough review of the museum’s strategy and collecting policy. In summer 2022, the exhibition Búðareyri – A Story of Transformations opened in the remains of the Old Machine Workshop. It explores 150 years of Búðareyri’s history — the area most affected by the landslide — which was once the cradle of Seyðisfjörður’s industrial activity. The museum is now being rebuilt in a new and safe location in Seyðisfjörður, where the 19th-century warehouse Angró will be reconstructed alongside a new building. The goal is to create a lively and engaging museum with exhibitions, projects, and workshops developed in close dialogue with the local community — and to make it a vibrant destination for visitors to Seyðisfjörður. The new museum is scheduled to open in 2028.