Útgerðaminjasafnið á Grenivík

Small museum in Grenivík, housed in an old bait shed, with relics of longline fishing from motor boats.

Opening hoursFree admission

About the museum

The Útgerðaminjasafnið (Fishing Heritage Museum) in Grenivík opened on 16 July 2009. The descendants of Jóhann Stefánsson and Gíslína Stefánsdóttir at Miðgarðar gave the shed to the municipality of Grýtubakkahreppur, and a non-profit foundation was set up for the museum together with Sæland ehf.

The museum is in Hlíðarendi, a bait shed built around 1920 on the foundation of Skarðsbúð, a fishing hut belonging to farmers from Skarð. Stefán Stefánsson, who named the shed after his boat Gunnar, tore down the old hut and built the new shed on its foundation using leftover materials. The shed was later extended by half towards the west. It is the only shed of its kind still standing from the early decades of fishing in Grenivík. During a major repair in 1996 only a new foundation and part of the floor were needed, and the door latch is an old object from Skarðsbúð.

The museum displays relics of a vanished way of working at sea: fishing gear, equipment and tools that were used for longline fishing from motor boats in the last century. Most of the objects come from Grenivík, but some come from elsewhere.

Highlights

Relics of longline fishing from motor boats
Bait shed from around 1920, the only one of its kind left in Grenivík
Fishing gear, equipment and tools
Free admission

Permanent exhibition

Minjar um línuveiðar – Fishing gear, equipment and tools used for longline fishing from motor boats in the last century, mostly from Grenivík.

Founded: 2009
Operated by: Útgerðaminjasafnið á Grenivík (sjálfseignarstofnun)