Settlement Exhibition

The Settlement Exhibition (Landnámssýningin) at Aðalstræti 16 in Reykjavik's Old Town is a museum built around the excavated remains of a Viking Age longhouse. The ruins were uncovered in 2001 during construction work, and the museum opened in 2006. The hall is dated to the late 9th and 10th centuries and is among the oldest known traces of human habitation in Iceland. Dating relies on the Settlement Layer, a band of volcanic tephra deposited around 871, which runs beneath the oldest walls and is visible in an excavated cross-section. The preserved remains include the turf and stone walls of a hall about 20 metres long, a central long fire pit, and the entrance. Visitors walk around the ruin on raised walkways, viewing it in its original position beneath the modern street. The curatorial approach is immersive: wall-sized digital displays reconstruct the hall and the surrounding landscape, multimedia stations explain how the dig proceeded, and cases contain smaller finds along with information on the settlers' diet, farming, and trade. The museum also covers how the settlers changed the landscape, including the clearing of birch woodland and the arrival of livestock, and it draws on the Book of Settlements (Landnámabók), which names Ingólfur Arnarson as Reykjavik's first settler. The ruin has been stabilised and is kept in a controlled environment, with temperature and humidity managed to protect the turf walls. The museum is operated by the Reykjavik City Museum (Borgarsögusafn), and exhibition texts and audio guidance are provided in English and Icelandic. A visit takes around an hour, and the museum stands close to Aðalstræti 10, the Parliament House, and the Cathedral, so it combines readily with a walk through central Reykjavik.