A pamphlet in five languages available for free.
“The exhibition Reykjavik 871±2 shows sensitivity to place, careful integration of mixed media, multi-point accessibility, and a high standard of presentation". ("Best Design of Digital Experiences in Museums" Nodem Award 2006)
The exhibition Reykjavik 871±2 is based on the archaeological excavation of the ruin of one of the first houses in Iceland and findings from other excavations in the city centre. The exhibition is located in Reykjavik old centre, on the corner of Adalstraeti and Sudurgata.
See information about public transport at www.bus.is
More about the exhibition
Guided tours
Guided tours for groups are available, but only by prebooking. Audioguides are also available in several languages: English, Norwegian, French, German, Polish, Spanish and Icleandic.
More about guided tours
Access for groups outside normal opening hour
Museum shop
The museum shop offers a variety of specially designed souvenirs and gifts. The shop is open during the opening hours of the exhibition.
Take a closer look
Nodem 2006
The Settlement exhibition Reykjavik 871±2 received the NODEM award 2006. The award is granted for "Best Design of Digital Experiences in Museums" in the Nordic countries.In the statement from the jury it says that "...after much discussion we have decided that across all dimensions, the winning entry is that of the Reykjavik City Museum, and their software partner, Gagarin, for their visually appealing, instructive, and innovative exhibit, Reykjavik 871±2 This exhibit shows sensitivity to place, careful integration of mixed media, multi-point accessibility, and a high standard of presentation".
Opening hours at the Settlement Exhibition
The exhibition is open on 24th of december from 10-14. Closed on Christmas day but open on Boxing Day from 13-17.
The exhibition will also be open on 31st of december from 10-14 and New Years Day from 13-17.
Reykjavik 871±2 in the Washington Post
In a recent article on Iceland a reporter from the Washington Post wrote:
"The greatest name for a museum, in my opinion, is this: 871±2. Built around an ancient longhouse discovered in 2001 during the construction of the Hotel Reykjavik Centrum, the underground exhibition is a tiny oval wonder, with flat-screen panels that, when you stand at a certain angle, show ghostly figures chasing and clubbing a bird, carrying a corpse from a small hut into the fields, milking a ewe. The museum´s name refers to the date of a volcanic eruption on whose deposits the house was erected. Among the interactive exhibits was one that analyzed the Icelandic language. Years of isolation meant the language changed so little between settlement and today that modern Icelanders can read 12th- and 13th- Icelandic sagas with no problem. And just maybe, the residents of the longhouse at 871±2, among the first settlers in Iceland, could chat with their descendants walking around aboveground."
The whole article is available here
Audio Tours availabe online
The Icelandic website Online Audio Guide offers a wide varity of audio tours on the Settlement Exhibition, along with other Museums and exhibitions. Currently the guide is available in Icelandic, English, Spanish, French, German, Norwegian and Polish.
Settlement Exhibition Multimedia Online
A new multimedia website with information from the Settlement Exhibition is now available online here.