Iceland review - 2007, Page 102

100 Pure energy
The Culture House is a vibrant venue for exhibits and events. The centrally
located building itself is part of the attraction. It was erected a century ago
to house Iceland’s national collections and is thought by many to be one of
Iceland’s finest architectural monuments. The Culture House hosts a number
of changing themed exhibits throughout the year in addition to the current
long-term exhibitions of native treasures:
The Medieval Manuscripts – Eddas and Sagas is an informative and
attractive exhibition focusing on the cultural and political role played by the
Icelandic medieval manuscripts from their earliest days to the present. The
poetry and prose works preserved in these manuscripts are the richest
evidence of the culture and mentalities of Northern Europeans in pagan
times – making them one of Iceland’s most important contributions to
the universal heritage of mankind. Free guided tours of the exhibit on the
Medieval Manuscripts are held every weekday, except Wednesdays, at 15:30
in the summer and every Monday and Friday over the winter months. Copies
of most of the Sagas in English are available in the souvenir shop in addition
to translations of the mythology of the Poetic Edda into various languages.
The multimedia exhibition Surtsey – Genesis traces the emergence and
evolution of the island Surtsey from the onset of the 1963-1967 oceanic
eruption to the present day and predicts its geographical and ecological
development over the next 120 years. An interactive multimedia device was
specially designed and built for this purpose: Moving images and graphs of
geography, plant and animal life over the period 1963-2130 appear on two
oversized screens. A horizontal time axis with a movable device is located
in front of the monitors. The viewer slides the device along the time axis,
bringing out a variety of images of Surtsey’s development over time.
Surtsey was declared a nature reserve in 1965 and has from its
beginning served as a living laboratory where scientists have researched
volcanology, tuff formation, land formation and erosion, colonization by plants
and animals and ecological succession without human interference. The
exhibition explains the reasons why made by Icelandic authorities nominated
Surtsey to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a universally unique natural
phenomenon.
Once you have explored the exhibitions, enjoy some baked goods or
a light lunch in the café, with a view over the Arnarhóll park and the old
harbor. Exhibitions and café open daily 11:00-17:00; admission free on
Wednesdays.
Hverfisgata 15, 101 Reykjavík
Tel. +354.545.1400
thjodmenning.is
exPloring culture
the Culture house – national Centre for Cultural heritage