The Settlement Exhibition

Overview

The Settlement Exhibition (Landnámssýningin) is built directly around the excavated remains of a 10th-century Viking-age longhouse, one of the oldest man-made structures in Iceland. The multimedia museum brings the Norse settlement period vividly to life.

Highlights

• The Longhouse Ruins: The preserved turf-wall foundations of a hall dating to approximately 930 AD, discovered during construction work in 2001.
• Interactive Displays: Touchscreens overlay historical reconstructions onto the archaeological remains, showing how the hall once looked.
• Volcanic Timeline: A tephra layer from the 871 ± 2 eruption of the Veiðivötn volcanic system serves as a precise dateline beneath the ruins.

History

The longhouse was accidentally discovered during hotel construction in 2001. Archaeologists determined it predated the 871 tephra layer, making it one of the earliest known structures in Iceland. The city built the museum around the site, which opened in 2006.

Visitor Tips

• Duration: 45–60 minutes.
• Context: Visit the National Museum afterwards for a broader overview of the settlement era.
• Location: Right in the city centre on Aðalstræti, Reykjavík's oldest street.