Icelandic Emigration Centre

The Icelandic Emigration Centre (Vesturfarasetrið) in Hofsós is a thoughtfully curated museum dedicated to the wave of emigration that saw some sixteen thousand Icelanders — roughly a quarter of the population — leave for North America, primarily Canada and the United States, between 1870 and 1914. The museum traces individual family stories, ship voyages, and the founding of Icelandic communities in Manitoba and the Dakotas.

The centre occupies one of Iceland’s oldest timber warehouses, a beautifully preserved eighteenth-century building right on the Hofsós harbour. Genealogy research services are available for visitors with Icelandic ancestry, and the database contains records of tens of thousands of emigrants and their descendants.

Hofsós is on Route 76 in Skagafjörður, not far from Sauðárkrókur. The village is also notable for its infinity swimming pool, dramatically cantilevered over the fjord. The emigration centre is open from June to August (check official site for exact hours).