Atlantica - 01.09.2007, Page 60

58 a t l a n t i c a
icelanda museums of the west fjords
Golden beaches patrolled by countless sea-
birds along a crystal-clear sea: Örlygshöfn
in Patreksfjördur might look like a peaceful
summer resort but as it turns out this cluster
of three farms is the site of Egill Ólafsson’s
Aviation Museum, Iceland’s only museum of
its kind.
During his time as the director of Patreksfjördur airport, the
late Egill Ólafsson, from the Hnjótur farm in Örlygshöfn, began
collecting everything he could find related to aviation, from minia-
ture aircraft replicas to visual approach slope indicators to full-size
hangars. Today, the museum he established even boasts a Russian
Antonov AN-2, the world’s largest single engine biplane (an air-
craft with a double wing unit). With an enigmatic smile, museum
curator Sigurbjörg Ásgeirsdóttir says that Ólafsson bought the air-
craft after it got slightly damaged in an incident in 1993, allegedly
involving a foreign official and a wealthy businesswoman.
For those bored by aviation paraphernalia, the museum also
displays items of a bygone era, like old whale harpoons and obso-
lete medical equipment. Be sure to check out the former terminal
building from the town of Thingeyri, which is really just a bridge
converted from an old fishing boat.
Winged Birds
An international doll museum in the quiet
fishing village of Flateyri in Önundar-
fjördur? Why not, thought German couple Dr.
Pintch and Dr. Siller when they were looking
for a suitable home for their extensive collection
eight years ago.
The seed for the museum germinated from a developmental
project in rural Pakistan where Pintch and Siller taught women
how to make and sell dolls. After having bought a few of the
dolls themselves, the couple traveled around the world and col-
lected more figures. When a friend living in Iceland told them
that the folk museum in Flateyri had been destroyed in a massive
avalanche in 1995, they decided to donate their entire collection
to the town.
Since Flateyri’s 337 inhabitants come from almost 40 different
countries, it is fitting that the nearly 100 handmade dolls belonging
to the museum come from all over the world. The dolls are of all
shapes and sizes, often sporting colorful traditional costumes from
their home countries.
Valley of the Dolls