The Culture House was built in the period 1906-1908 to house the National Library and National Archives of Iceland.
The Culture House was also home to Iceland‘s National Museum and Natural History Museum for several decades. It housed the main treasures of the Icelandic nation under one roof. The museum itself is a heritage building, an architectural monument.
The Culture House is a centre of Icelandic cultural heritage institutions with high-quality exhibitions on selected national treasures such as the manuscripts contain Icelandic Sagas.
The exhibition gives visitors the chance to explore collections ranging from thousand-year-old treasures to the latest in Icelandic art. Its focus is on the visual expression of the ideas Icelanders have about the world, our environment and ourselves. The materials and techniques may change over the years, but the viewpoints remain the same. This is a unique journey through Iceland‘s visual legacy, offering an innovative guide to a nation’s cultural history.
A permanent exhibit on the visual history of Iceland, Points of View, opened in April 2015. It showcases exhibits from the National Museum, the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum, as well as exhibits from the National Archives, the National and University Library and the Arni Magnusson Institute.
Where is the Culture House?
The Culture House is located in the city centre of Reykjavík, Hverfisgata 15.
GPS: 64.14728 N, -21.932228 W
