herring era museum

Tim-N-Sue

The museum was part of the tour we booked with Taxi-17 and I expected to be there no more than 15 minutes. Was I ever wrong. We really enjoyed this museum and we spent at least 90 minutes in it. Loved the full sized fishing boat inside the museum. If you are in Siglufjordur DO NOT MISS the museum.

848j_rgs

We really enjoyed the visit to the museum. It was structured very uniquely and well organized. The museum was split up into three different buildings and each building represented a different topic about the history of herring fishing in Siglufjordur. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the information that they museum was displaying. It was amazing that everything was not behind glass and we could explore and interact with exhibits.

Lydialeung

I visited the museum when it was officially closed. However, the staff was soooooo helpful, replying my email enquiry during weekends offering to open doors for me when i arrive.the museum is divided into three areas. The first one showed a lot of things used in the 30s and 40s. I would see gasoline/oil lamps, manual typewriters, old style radios which played soft nordic music.., There are also nice displays of clothes worn by the herring ladies at that time. Its super interesting.The second building displays a lot of machinery which i was not quite interested.The third building (house boat) shows a life size fishing ship, and several other boats. I could go up to the big boat, into the captains chamber; in all, its very very interesting.All staffs are friendly, pleasant and helpful. Steinunn, the lady who opened doors for me, even charged me less than usual ISK1200 instead of 1400 because she said they did not provide full service to me, which i was not even aware.All in all, if you happen to be in this town, this is a MUST,

Josy213

Loved this museum, so well constructed to really give you a glimpse of the past. The atmosphere inside the Boathouse was incredible, the lighting, the perfection to details, all brought together to make you feel a part of that era. So much interesting information about the fishing industry and how the rise and fall affected every person from this area.

569jeanr

We had time to see only three of the buildings comprising this museum - the Salting Station, the Factory and the Boathouse - and could have spent much longer looking at all there was to see. The first building, Roaldsbrakki, houses the salting process and the offices. There are many interesting old photos and press clips showing Siglufjordur as it was at the height of the herring boom, plus a video display. Particularly interesting was the herring girls' lodgings on the top floor, with their clothing, record players, and other personal belongings. Just along the walkway is the factory, Grana, has all the machinery for fish meal and oil production. This is just as interesting, but it's the part you can skip of a bit if time is short, because further along the walkway is the excellent Boathouse, which houses 11 boats of different sizes, including a complete 38-ton fishing boat, which you can board and look around. The buildings themselves are very handsome and historic, and outside are other artefacts of the herring industry.

JeffreyP431

We really wanted to see this museum but it had limited off season hours and we chose not to wait hours for it to open. However, there were things to look out outside and these were enjoyable and worth seeing .

luckyduck_307

Extremely well done! I would highly recommend this museum to all visitors to Siglufjordur. Very hands on, and no ropes or bars to deter people from touching any of the displays - it's great to have a museum that is so hands on that you can discover at your own pace.

MikeJonasson

A family of 7 very much enjoyed the visit. Helpful staff provided valuable insight into the mysteries of an important era of Icelandic history in the early-mid 20th century. Recommend this for anyone visiting Siglufjordur anid surroundings.

127lukem

This out of the way museum of the herring industry is a nice piece of history. You will see how life was in the early 1900's and what it took to bring these fish to market. The 1400 Kr is a little steep for the attraction, but everything in Iceland is inflated.

764thereseb

interessting and nicely displayed museum. would like more signs in english though. nice to see the display on how they lived back in the days

Gilbert00

There were three different museums to explore. We found them interesting, especially the hardship of fishing the cold waters, and the process to preserve the fish.

traveler7462

This is not the place to come if you are looking for a quick attraction. There is so much to see and read if you want to truly get the most out of your visit. The attraction encompasses three buildings. The attraction was like getting a course in herring fishing. Just super.

Dr-Mustang-Sally

If you are visiting Siglufjordur then you must go this museum. It represents the very essence of the town and takes you back in time to when herring fishing was a major industry.

Lanis-adventure

I was impressed with how well done the exhibits were. There are three buildings full of artifacts from different aspects of the herring industry: everything from how the workers lived to how the fish was processed and the economics of the industry.

michelam182

I visited the Herring era museum without any pre knowledge about herring fishing and on how important it was for Iceland and the area. I was soooo surprised, not only it gave me great information about the herring fishing and processing, I also had the impression to "feel how people where living" back then. Great reconstruction of the rooms and living areas in the ref house!! and: the museum is alive, I never saw sign with "do not touch" etc.. so I remember touching the cork floaters that where used in the boats, thinking "wow, how much hand work"! great!!!