THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND

We had a few hours before our flight home from Reykjavik and decided to check out The National Museum of Iceland. The museum covers the history of Iceland from the dawn of Icelandic society into the modern world, displaying artifacts from Viking settlements through contemporary culture.

The National Museum of Iceland wasn't our all-time favorite museum in all of our travels  (sorry, Reykjavik) but turned out to be a decent way to burn a few hours. There were a few objects that caught our interest, especially those Viking artifacts. Would we visit again? Probably not, but we don't regret the time we spent there.

A few key objects highlighted below:

^^ Þór or Christ? Dated around 1000 AD, this object is thought to represent the Norse god Þór (Thor) with his hammer but could also represent Christ with the Christian cross ^^

^^ The Valþjófsstaður Door, a church door in dated about 1200 AD with medieval engraving depicting scenes from Le Chevalier au Lion ^^ 

^^  Guðbrandur's Bible, the first translation of the entire Bible printed in Icelandic ^^ 

^^ Bundled-up in Blue: preserved facial bones, teeth, and flesh from a Viking grave ^^

^^ Drinking Horn, dated 1598, carved with scenes from the Old and New Testaments ^^

^^ Skautbúningur Costume from 1860, festive costume for women ^^ 

^^ The Blue and White, flag flown by Icelanders during the first two decades of the 20th century ^^ 

Recommendations:
1) Plan about two hours for your visit.
2) Consider prioritizing The Settlement Exhibition over this museum if you're short on time.
3) Use the museum map to guide your visit and ensure you see the key works in the collection.