The Settlement Exhibition
The Settlement Exhibition things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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The Settlement Museum retells the history of human occupation of Iceland in general, and Reykjavik in particular, starting with the earliest archaeological evidence -- an excavated long house, in situ under the museum building. The deep recreation and explanation of the structure is the highlight of the exhibit. The added info of Reykjavik over the centuries was also highly interesting, though, as a non-resident who knows little of that history, it felt like I was missing a lot of details and bigger picture understanding. The weakest aspect is the more modern retelling -- from WW2 to the present -- an era of incredible growth and increased sophistication, but glossed over into a simple photomontage and a discussion of housing in the 40s-50s. Definitely worth a visit for anyone coming to Reykjavik and wanting to know more about the place and its distant history. Very well put together.
Dave HillDave Hill
00
A must visit for anyone in Reykjavik who is interested in history, the Vikings or the early Middle Ages. There aren't a ton of Viking sites like this so this is a very important find. The majority of the longhouse dates from 930 to 1000 AD. The Viking longhouse is much larger and more impressive then in photos. The museum does a wonderful job of pointing out different places on the longhouse and giving you a good history of early Iceland and Reykjavik. The light sound of waves and animal noises really puts you in the mood. The different media to help you reimagine the parts of the longhouse that did not survive is also very cool and helpful. Most of the walls aside from the stone and some of the turf no longer exists so these remakes of help you visualize what the structure used to be. This and the Arbaer open air museum are must visits for history lovers in Iceland!
Tim WelchTim Welch
40
Pro - The museum itself is built around an archeological site, which is pretty cool. - The multimedia displays were cool when they worked. - There are free lockers to store your stuff Con - It was pretty hard to see the actual settlement. The room was dark and you can only light up certain parts of the settlement when you press some buttons. I wish we can see it from the top in brighter light. - There's a few touch screens that are not working. You press in one location and the pointer is offset in a different location. For buttons on the edge of the screen, you just can't press it. - Not that many artifacts apart from the settlement itself. If you want to see artifacts, go to the National Museum of Iceland nearby. Misc - The exhibit is all on one floor - Budget ~1 to 1.5 hours here if you want to read everything.
Shimu WuShimu Wu
20
The Settlement Exhibition is an archaeological museum built over the uncovered remains of a ca. AD 930 longhouse. It is believed to be one of the earlier buildings in the area that later became Reykjavík. There are quite a few artifacts on display. The interpretative aspect that makes this museum great for the public are the interactive information modules placed around the outside of the longhouse. Lots of topics are covered in the modules including ecology, history, and recent DNA discoveries for the Icelandic people. In addition at the entrance there is a small gift shop with a nice selection of Icelandic history and nature books. The Settlement Exhibition nicely complements the second floor of the National Museum of Iceland.
Fred FinneyFred Finney
00
I'd recommend this museum if you bought the Iceland tourist card which is included in the price. As others have said, the museum is somewhat small if you only stay in the settlement area. If you track yourself towards the back you can unlock the other levels of the museum. I think the settlement portion could use an update on the information surrounding it. The concept and the ability to see the settlement is fun and interesting. Though if you go to the other levels you can see more of an interactive interesting portion. They even have an old map of the city in which the binoculars you look through gives you a visual effect. VERY COOL!
Dylan FilkinsDylan Filkins
30
As someone who loves to read and is really interested in history and culture, this place was really informative from the very first moment the Vikings arrived and how they decided where to settle to the changes over the years right up to 2020. Lots of pictures and is bigger than you think with an actual living quarters in the museum itself. We spent a good couple of hours here and there are toilet facilities. The only drawback was that there is nowhere to sit and eat/ buy drinks from, but they do allow you to come and go and are situated just by a square with the original pillars. With plenty of options to purchase food.
Stacey BrethertonStacey Bretherton
00
Nearby Attractions Of The Settlement Exhibition
Hallgrimskirkja
Sun Voyager
National Museum of Iceland
Rainbow Street
Whales of Iceland
Saga Museum
Hótel Frón
Ingólfur Square
Hús máls og menningar
Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre
Hallgrimskirkja
4.6
(9.2K)Click for details
Sun Voyager
4.5
(3.9K)Click for details
National Museum of Iceland
4.5
(1.7K)Click for details
Rainbow Street
4.6
(1.3K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of The Settlement Exhibition
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
Café Loki
Icelandic Street Food
Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar
Seabaron
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Sandholt
Hard Rock Cafe Reykjavík
Lebowski Bar
Brauð & Co
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
4.6
(3.6K)Click for details
Café Loki
4.5
(2.5K)Click for details
Icelandic Street Food
4.7
(2.5K)Click for details
Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar
4.7
(1.9K)Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Aðalstræti 16, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Map
Phone
+354 411 6370
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Website
reykjavikcitymuseum.is
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Reviews
Overview
4.4
(663 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
accessibility
Description
The Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík 871±2 is an exhibition on the settlement of Reykjavík, Iceland, created by the Reykjavik City Museum. The exhibition is based on the archaeological excavation of the ruin of one of the first houses in Iceland and findings from other excavations in the city centre.
attractions: Hallgrimskirkja, Sun Voyager, National Museum of Iceland, Rainbow Street, Whales of Iceland, Saga Museum, Hótel Frón, Ingólfur Square, Hús máls og menningar, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre, restaurants: Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Café Loki, Icelandic Street Food, Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar, Seabaron, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, Sandholt, Hard Rock Cafe Reykjavík, Lebowski Bar, Brauð & Co
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