Westfjords
An interesting place to travel to and visit
What did people do before DVDs and MySpace?
Then people had to invent their own recreation. Before the media arrived on the scene, people chanted rhymes, told each other stories and played cards, to name just a few pastimes.
Furnishings and way of life
People lived and worked in the sitting room in such cramped quarters that it is hard to imagine how it was possible. The ceiling was low, and there was much overcrowding; for example usually more than one person slept in each bed, even though beds were small by modern standards. All had their own eating vessel – a wooden bowl known as askur – into which food was served. People then sat on their bed and ate from the askur with a spoon.
Clothing and design
Clothing was plain by modern standards, but people dressed up on festive occasions. In the museum is a skautbúningur (an Icelandic festival costume for women), which a woman sewed for herself and spared nothing to do so. She was a housemaid all her life and therefore did not have much money, but this was her dream. There is also a considerable amount of needlework and embroidery by gentlewomen which attest to their artistry and fine designs.
Technology and progress
On display at the museum is the first computer to arrive in Vestur-Barðastrandasýsla, and it is fun to compare it with our laptops. The telephone centre through which connections between places were routed attracts the attention of the generation which has been brought up with mobile phones. The development of banking operations is also depicted in this part of the museum as well as much more.
Leisure and games
In the museum, visitors can see how skates developed from equine cannon bones to the skates we know today. One can learn about the games played in fishing stations and have a seeress foretell the future. .
Opening hours
The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00. The museum is open only in summer from 1 June to 15 September.
The museum may be opened on request at other hours by contacting the museum director, telephone 456 1569 and 456 1514.
Enquiries can also be e-mailed to museum@hnjotur.is. museum@hnjotur.is
Schedule of events 2008
June 2008
At the end of June, ethnologist Margrét Gunnlaugsdóttir will sew sails in the museum at Hnjótur. This is an ideal opportunity to have a look at how sail sewing is done, but there are many objects related to such sewing in the museum.
July 2008
July 13 is the Icelandic museum day, and admission to the museum is free.
August 2008
On 10 August, historian Heiðrún Konráðsdóttir will discuss Flatey’s trade history.
August–September 2008
At the end of August, the summer’s harvest will be celebrated with a programme which will be announced closer to the date.
The Egill Ólafsson Museum at Hnjótur , Örlygshöfn, Phone: 4561511, e-mail: museum@hnjotur.is, Webdesing: Emstrur