Two New Exhibitions Open at Akureyri Museum

The past takes centre stage at Akureyri Museum on Saturday 6 June at 14:00, when two new exhibitions open: Under Occupation and Land Ahoy – The Earliest Maps of Iceland, 1507–1600.

Under Occupation explores the presence of British, American, Norwegian and Canadian troops in Eyjafjörður during the Second World War. On 17. May 1940, one week after the occupation of Reykjavík, the coastguard vessel Ægir arrived at Akureyri with 40 seasick soldiers on board. Thousands more followed, and more than thirty military camps were established in and around the town.

The exhibition is based on photographs, film footage, objects, maps and contemporary accounts from both soldiers and local people. Together, they reveal a world of military occupation, cultural encounters and sometimes comic misunderstandings.

Land Ahoy presents 16th-century maps of Iceland, including the oldest known printed map of the country, published in 1507.

The exhibition is based on a remarkable map collection donated to Akureyri by the German couple Karl-Werner Schulte and Gisela Schulte-Daxbök since 2014.

The exhibitions will be opened by Logi Már Einarsson, Minister of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education, and Gunnar Már Gunnarsson, President of Akureyri Town Council.

Light refreshments will be served and admission is free.