Norska húsið – Byggðasafn Snæfellinga og Hnappdæla

About the museum

The Norska húsið (Norwegian House) in Stykkishólmur was built in 1832 from pre-cut timber from Norway for the merchant and ship owner Árni Thorlacius, and is considered the first two-storey residential house in the country. He lived there with his family and with Anna Steenback. In 1970 the house was bought by the county council of Snæfellsnes and Hnappadalur, to restore it and set up a regional museum there. The restoration took 36 years.

The collection began in 1956, when Ragnar Ásgeirsson gathered five hundred objects, and in 1969 Magnús Gestsson added another five hundred and catalogued all the items. The collection now comprises about six thousand objects, mainly from the first half of the 20th century, relating to trade, fishing and island farming in the region, as well as to the house and its residents in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Héraðsnefnd Snæfellinga (Regional Council of Snæfellsnes) runs the museum, and five municipalities share responsibility for it: Stykkishólmur, Helgafellssveit, Grundarfjörður, Snæfellsbær and Eyja- og Miklaholtshreppur.

The core exhibition, Hjartastaður (Heart Place), is about young people in Snæfellsnes from 1900 to the present, told from the young people's own perspective. It is based on objects, photographs, music by local residents and interviews with residents who recall the years from about age thirteen to twenty-three. The top floor has an open storage area, the lower floor hosts temporary exhibitions, and the shop Krambúðin sells handicrafts and local products. The Vatnasafn (Water Museum), an installation by Roni Horn in the old library, also belongs to the museum.

Highlights

• The oldest two-storey timber house in the country, built in 1832 from Norwegian timber
• The core exhibition Hjartastaður about young people in Snæfellsnes from 1900
• Open storage on the top floor with about 6,000 objects
• Temporary exhibitions on the lower floor
• The shop Krambúðin with handicrafts and local products, and access codes for the Vatnasafn

Permanent exhibition

• Hjartastaður – The core exhibition on young people in Snæfellsnes from 1900 to the present, based on objects, photographs, music and interviews with residents.

Founded

1956

Operated by

Héraðsnefnd Snæfellinga

Admission & discounts

Access codes for the Vatnasafn can be obtained at the Norska húsið.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The Krambúðin on the first floor sells art by artists from Stykkishólmur and elsewhere, handicrafts, sweets and local products.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit