Westfjords Heritage Museum

Top choice in Ísafjörður

LoginSave

Part of a cluster of historic wooden buildings by the harbour, this museum is in the Turnhús (1784), which was originally a warehouse. It's crammed with fishing and nautical exhibits, tools from the whaling days, fascinating old photos depicting town life over the centuries, and accordions. To the right is the Tjöruhús (1781), now an excellent seafood restaurant. The Faktorhús (1765), which housed the manager of the village shop, and the Krambúd (1757), originally a storehouse, are now private residences.

The museum ticket is also good for the Old Blacksmith's Workshop in Þingeyri.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • A woman hikes in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.

    Hornstrandir Nature Reserve

    25.58 MILES

    Craggy mountains, precarious sea cliffs and plunging waterfalls make up Hornstrandir, one of Europe’s last true wilderness areas, covering some of the…

  • Dynjandi

    Dynjandi

    23.06 MILES

    Tumbling in a broad sweep over a 100m-rocky scarp at the head of Dynjandivogur bay, Dynjandi is the most dramatic waterfall in the Westfjords. The bumpy…

  • Ósvör Maritime Museum

    Ósvör Maritime Museum

    6.25 MILES

    The old turf-and-stone fishing shacks of the Ósvör Maritime Museum powerfully evoke a past age. A guide in a typical lambskin fisher’s outfit shows you…

  • Museum of Everyday Life

    Museum of Everyday Life

    0.44 MILES

    Celebrating the magic of the mundane is the aim of the powerful, creative displays here, where shoes, books and mini-movies each come with personal…

  • Vigur

    Vigur

    8.48 MILES

    Charming Vigur is a popular destination for day trippers from Ísafjörður. In season it's a nesting site for hundreds of puffins, and the rest of the year…

  • Arctic Fox Center

    Arctic Fox Center

    4.62 MILES

    The study of the Arctic fox has been underway on nearby Hornstrandir for years, and this locally loved exhibition details the life of the creatures, their…

  • Jón Sigurðsson Memorial Museum

    Jón Sigurðsson Memorial Museum

    23.21 MILES

    Farmstead Hrafnseyri is the birthplace (on 17 June 1811) of Jón Sigurðsson, the architect of Iceland’s independence. The interesting, modern Jón…

View more attractions

Nearby Ísafjörður attractions

1. Museum of Everyday Life

0.44 MILES

Celebrating the magic of the mundane is the aim of the powerful, creative displays here, where shoes, books and mini-movies each come with personal…

2. Old Town

0.52 MILES

Ísafjörður's historic quarter borders it's eastern edges. Start explorations in Tangagata to see gabled, tin-clad homes, often brightly painted in…

3. Ísafjarðarkirkja

0.55 MILES

More than 740 clay birds, arranged in flight soar above the altarpiece of this modernist church.They were made by locals during a group art project. Look…

4. Seamen's Monument

0.57 MILES

Ísafjörður's big bronze Seaman's Monument depicts two fishermen with their nets and commemorates those who've lost their lives at sea.

5. Whalebone Arch

0.58 MILES

Of minor interest is the whalebone arch made from a whale’s jawbone in the central town park.

6. Culture House

0.6 MILES

The intensely close-knit nature of Westfjords life is evoked in the 2nd-floor displays in what was once the town hospital. Look out for vintage scales for…

7. Arctic Fox Center

4.62 MILES

The study of the Arctic fox has been underway on nearby Hornstrandir for years, and this locally loved exhibition details the life of the creatures, their…