There
are loads of ducks and other birds that visit the lake (in the summer,
people go and feed them bread):
Inside
the city hall, there was a photographic exhibition, and there is also a
huge relief map of Iceland.
Once I'd finished looking round the city hall, I went to visit the old cemetery. There is a monument to Jón Sigurðsson, who is famous for campaigning for independence for Iceland when it was under Danish rule:
Once I'd finished looking round the city hall, I went to visit the old cemetery. There is a monument to Jón Sigurðsson, who is famous for campaigning for independence for Iceland when it was under Danish rule:
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While
most of the gravestones are similar to those found in graveyards in
Britain, there are also some examples of Viking-style gravestones:
The
next thing I went to see was the National Museum of Iceland. This has
just reopened after being refurbished. Rather than getting a ticket
when you go in, you get a small tag instead:
The
lower floor is dedicated to the early history of Iceland, from the
first settlements in the 9th century through to the 17th century. There
is a lot of information, in English and German as well as Icelandic.
The upper floor carries on from the floor below, with items ranging
from the 17th century through to the present day. It is especially
interesting to see how much things have changed in the last 100 years,
with the introduction of technologies that have had a major impact on
life in Iceland.
After the National Museum, I went to have a look at the exhibitions in the Culture House:
After the National Museum, I went to have a look at the exhibitions in the Culture House:
The
main exhibition, which I was most interested in, was about medieval
manuscripts of the sagas:
As well as displaying manuscripts of various sagas, and other items, the exhibition also shows how the manuscripts were prepared and created.
Upstairs in the Culture House, there was a smaller exhibition about Iceland establishing home rule under Denmark. This has interesting information about life in Iceland in the early 1900s, with photos and items on display:
As well as displaying manuscripts of various sagas, and other items, the exhibition also shows how the manuscripts were prepared and created.
Upstairs in the Culture House, there was a smaller exhibition about Iceland establishing home rule under Denmark. This has interesting information about life in Iceland in the early 1900s, with photos and items on display:
Up
another flight of stairs, there is an exhibition about when the
National Museum was housed in the Culture House, with displays of items:
