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 daily from 10:00 to 18:00 from 21th of May till 11th of September.
The museum may be opened on request at other hours. Contact the museum director, telephone 896 5363.
Enquiries can also be e-mailed to museum@hnjotur.is.
Schedule of events 2011
Schedule of events 2011 is forthcoming ...
Breiðafjörður Bay Circle welcomes you!
The Egill Ólafsson Museum at Hnjótur , Örlygshöfn, Phone: 4561511, e-mail: museum@hnjotur.is, Webdesing: Emstrur