One of the staff members of the Szekler Museum of Ciuc, museographer Eszter Túros, participated in a study trip to Iceland from March 9 to 16. The trip, implemented as part of the RO-CULTURA program and the bilateral initiative “Storytelling in Museums”, provided the opportunity to get acquainted not only with the wonderful world of Icelandic culture and nature, but also with the unique Icelandic storytelling culture and museum practices. For a week, the 11 participating museographers had the opportunity to visit, with professional guidance, numerous museums and cultural institutions in the southwestern area of Iceland.

The great adventure began in Reykjavik, with a visit to the Árni Magnússon Institute of Icelandic Studies on March 10. The research centre is home to almost 2,000 manuscripts, including the famous Edda Codex Regius and Codex Flateyensis.

The director of communications, Ingibjörg Thorisdottir, presented the collection and the soon to be open exhibition "World in Words", revealing the details of the effort put into preparations, which lasted several years.

The next destination was the National Museum of Iceland, where were presented aspects of the museum’s operation, educational programs and target group, and then the museum educator, Johanna Bergmann, led the group through the museum’s permanent exhibitions. In addition to the exhibitions, she also spoke about the institution’s museum education practice.

In the afternoon the program continued in one of the buildings of the National Gallery of Iceland, where, in addition to viewing the exhibition that includes a selection from the contemporary art collection, the institution’s museum educator presented the educational program for the visual arts, not only in theory, but also in practice.

The first day ended in the Westman Islands, south of Iceland, where the group arrived in the evening by ferry. The first stop on the program, in the Westman Islands, was a visit to the local community centre. This institution houses both the Ethnographic Museum and the local library, both being visited by the group. Local historian Helga Hallbergsdóttir described the dark period of the island's history, the events of the Turkish pirate raid in 1627, and then Kári Bjarnason, the director of the Cultural Centre, presented his decades-long research on the first Icelandic Mormon missionaries and the islanders who followed them. After this, the group had the opportunity to admire the exhibition of local history and fine arts, as well as the currently developing collection of old books, the library, where the director of the institution spoke about local practices in reading education.

The next visited institution was the Eldheimar Museum. Established in 2014, by private initiative, it aims to commemorate the 1973 eruption of the Eldfell volcano on the island of Heimaey. The volcanic eruptions that shaped the history of the Westman Islands are examined through exhibitions from different perspectives: personal, historical, scientific and artistic, and with the help of technical solutions and an audio guide that works according to the user's movement, it creates an extremely complex experience for the visitor.

The program continued at the Skansinn Fortress, built in 1586 in order to protect Danish commercial interests. Here is exhibited a replica of the first church on the island, donated by the Norwegian government in 2000 for the 1000th anniversary of Iceland's conversion to Christianity. It was also possible to visit the first maternity hospital in Iceland, which currently hosts a medical exhibition.

The day ended in the city hall council chamber, where Mayor Íris Róbertdóttir spoke about the rehabilitation works of the city hall building, originally built as a maternity hospital, as well as about the local community and her work as mayor.

The third day started with an early morning ferry ride back to Iceland, where we spent much of the day admiring nature and waterfalls such as Gljúfrabú, Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. Afterwards, the group visited the for-profit, privately funded Lava Center in Hvolsvöllur, where director Bárdur Örn Örn Gunnarsson spoke about the centre’s establishment, operation and future plans. This was followed by a guided tour in the lava exhibition, which impressed visitors not only with its content but also with its creative, interactive and innovative solutions.

This was followed by a visit to the historic site of Skálholt, once the capital of Iceland and the birthplace of Icelandic Christianity, then a visit to Thingvellkir National Park, the site of the world's first parliament (930) and the meeting point of the American and Eurasian tectonic plates. 

The fourth day began with a visit to the medieval monuments of Reykholt. This is where Snorri Sturluson, author of the famous Edda poems, lived and worked, and whose natural thermal pool can still be seen today. 

Afterwards, we enjoyed a picturesque view of a thermal spring.

On to Stykkisholmur, where we visited the Regional Museum - the Norwegian House - in the company of a local ethnographer, Anna Melsted, and Hraunals Farm, the local home of Eyrbyggja. The local history exhibition at the Norwegian House was a unique way of bringing together past and present from the perspective of today's young people, making the community's past not only more accessible to youngsters, but also giving them a set of tools to understand the present. The exhibition was followed by a visit to the Hraunals farm, where the community building activities of a local family were explored. They have created a cultural space, a club in a historic landscape, where local people meet regularly to read and interpret the locally relevant Eyrbyggja saga together, and have also started a major project to create a monumental tapestry of the stories from the Eyrbyggja saga.

As an evening activity, the group also had a chance to create an overview of life at the local outdoor swimming pool, which is a key community centre.  

The penultimate day was again full of natural attractions. After a visit to the iconic Kirkjufell Mountain, known from Game of Thrones, and the adjacent waterfall, we visited the fishing village of Hellisandur, a comprehensive arts space called The Feezer, which offers both a guesthouse and artist-in-residence program. The village also hosts a street art festival, which has resulted in over 40 large and spectacular outdoor murals.

The greatness and grandeur of nature is perhaps best appreciated in Djúpalónssandur Bay, renowned for its dark cliffs and striking black sand, an experience that will stay with us forever.

At Snaefellsnes Regional Park headquarters, we listened to a presentation by one of the municipality's top storytellers, the park's general manager, Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir, who described their regional projects that rely on the power of community, storytelling and local cultural resources. 

The final day was spent back in Reykjavik, where we had the opportunity to get to know the city through the captivating stories of historian Stefan Pallson. 

Getting to know Iceland meant not only encounters with nature, cultural institutions, people and stories, but also a rich culinary experience.

Eszter Túros