Arbaejarsafn, the Arbaer Open Air Museum, is an open-air museum in Reykjavik and part of the Reykjavik City Museum. It is built around the old Arbaer farm, and the site includes more than 20 historic buildings. The turf houses at Arbaer were built between 1890 and 1918.
What and where Arbaer Open Air Museum is
Arbaejarsafn, the Arbaer Open Air Museum, is in Reykjavik. It is part of the Reykjavik City Museum. The site is an open-air museum, so its collection is presented through historic buildings and outdoor spaces rather than a single indoor exhibition hall.
The old Arbaer farm
The museum is built around the old Arbaer farm. This was a working farm until its last residents left in 1948.
The historic buildings on site
The museum has more than 20 historic buildings. Many were moved from central Reykjavik. On site, they are arranged as a town square, a village and a farm.
Buildings include turf-roofed houses, a village church and a blacksmith's forge.
How turf houses were built
Traditional turf houses were built on a stone foundation with a timber frame and thick turf, or sod, walls for insulation against the cold.
At Arbaer, the turf houses were built between 1890 and 1918.
Visiting Arbaer from central Reykjavik
Arbaer sits a short way east of the centre, so it pairs well with the indoor collection at the National Museum of Iceland for a fuller picture of the country's history. For more ideas across the capital, see our guide to things to do in Reykjavik. For live visit details, use the museum's official information. To compare options in the city, see Reykjavik tours.
Prepare for the conditions
If Arbaer Open Air Museum: What to Know is part of your plans, use the Iceland Packing List to prepare for Iceland's changeable weather and time outdoors.
