The Culture House
The Culture House is a venue for Icelandic national heritage in a nutshell. The operations mainly entail diverse exhibitions. Contracts are made with relevant institutions regarding short or long term exhibitions. The Culture House thus serves as a common centre for Icelandic cultural heritage institutions with high-quality exhibitions on selected national treasures. There are facilities for exhibitions, meetings, gatherings, lectures, artistic events, public ceremonies and other occasions. Exhibitions in the Culture House are expected to reflect the trends and currents in society and present varied past and present cultural aspects. The Culture House is a heritage building and its use today takes into consideration the building's protected status and historical value. The setting for exhibitions is the building itself, an architectural monument. It is thus important that the premises be respected when exhibitions are mounted so that visitors can enjoy the building fully. Numerous exhibitions have been on view since 2000 when the Culture House was inaugurated. The Culture House's featured exhibition is the Medieval Manuscripts -- Eddas and Sagas. Diverse events have been held in the Library Room and elsewhere in the building, including conferences, readings and concerts. The Culture House offers guided visits to groups and to students at all school levels. A guided tour of the exhibitions also includes a brief presentation on the building itself and its history. Admission is free for student groups. Groups may request a guided tour of the Culture House exhibitions in English, Danish and Icelandic. A guided tour is offered in English without extra charge four times a week in the summer and two times a week over the winter months.
