Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Suðurgata
One of the best
views
of Reykjavík can be had from
Suðurgata
, a street running
parallel to Tjörnin's western shore; to get there from the city hall, walk west along
Vonarstræti, crossing Tjarnargata. Suðurgata is lined with tidy little dwellings, but
from it you can see across the lake to the suburban houses of the city centre, whose
corrugated-iron roofs, ranging in colour from a pallid two-tone green to bright blues
and reds, have been carefully maintained by their owners - the familiar picture-
postcard view of Reykjavík.
Þjóðminjasafn
Suðurgata 41 • May to mid-Sept daily 10am-5pm; mid-Sept to April Tues-Sun 11am-5pm • 1200kr •
W
natmus.is
Þjóðminjasafn
, the National Museum, offers a comprehensive historical overview of
the country's past from the days of the Settlement right up to the birth of the Republic
in 1944 and beyond. Having seen the exhibits, it's worth having a quick look at
the changing displays of contemporary photography, which are displayed within an
undistinguished room known rather pompously as the
National Gallery of Photography
;
it's behind the museum shop on the ground floor.
The first floor
he
first floor
, devoted to the period from 800 to 1600, is by far the most engaging
part of the museum; the video presentation within the “Origin of Icelanders”
exhibition, devoted to the early Viking period and the use of
DNA testing
, is
particularly good. Recent genetic research has shown that whereas around eighty
percent of today's Icelanders are of Nordic origin, sixty-two percent of the early Viking-
era women originated from the British Isles; the conclusion, therefore, is that the first
settlers sailed from Scandinavia to Iceland via the British Isles where they took wives.
Informative displays show how DNA testing of the pulp cavity of the teeth of these
first settlers is being carried out in an attempt to add scientific credence to the recent
genetic research results.
Other prime exhibits include a small human figure, about the size of a thumb
and made of bronze, which is thought to be over a thousand years old and portray
either the Norse god Þór or Christ. More spectacular is the
carved church door
from
Valþjófsstaður in Fljótsdalur (Þórsmörk), dating from around 1200, and depicting
the medieval tale
Le Chevalier au Lion:
it features an ancient warrior on horseback
slugging it out with an unruly dragon. The Danish authorities finally gave up the
treasure in 1930 and returned the door to Iceland, together with a host of medieval
manuscripts. Check out, too, the impressive Romanesque-style carved
Madonna
dating from around 1200, which hails from northern Iceland and is displayed within
the “Medieval church” section.
The second floor
he
second floor
of the museum, devoted to the period from 1600 onwards, canters
through key events in Icelandic history such as the Trade Monopoly (1602-1787) and
the Birth of the Republic. It terminates in a revolving airport-style conveyor belt laden
with twentieth-century appliances and knick-knacks, featuring everything from a Björk
LP to a milking machine.
Norræna húsið
Sturlugata 5 • Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun noon-5pm • Free •
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nordice.is
South of the university,
Norræna húsið
(Nordic House), designed by the renowned
Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in 1961 and buzzed over by aircraft landing at the nearby
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
ÖSKJUHLÍÐ
P.68
; TJÖRNIN; VIEW FROM THE HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA
P.66
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