Tuesday lecture: Þorpið sem hvarf (The Village That Disappeared)

At lunchtime on Tuesdays, the National Museum of Iceland hosts a variety of events, including film screenings, guided tours, and lectures.

On Tuesday, November 10, archaeologist Elín Ósk Hreiðarsdóttir will present the lecture "The Village That Disappeared – The Story of Sundabakki in Viðey."

At the southeastern tip of Viðey, a small settlement known as Sundabakki was established in the early 20th century. In everyday speech, it was usually referred to simply as "the Village" (Þorpið). Development of the settlement began in 1907 and was tied to ambitious plans for harbor construction and industrialized fish processing, at a time when Icelandic society was taking major steps toward modernization, a market economy, and changing patterns of consumption.

During its brief history, the Village experienced periods of both prosperity and decline. It eventually became a small residential community before being completely abandoned in 1943.

The lecture will provide an overview of the Village's history and describe an archaeological investigation carried out there about a decade ago. The research combined archival work, interviews with former residents, surveys of the ruins, and exploratory excavations of refuse deposits near the house foundations. These excavations uncovered a diverse collection of artifacts dating from the first half of the 20th century.

The talk will explore how these artifacts, considered alongside the remains of the buildings and the recollections of former residents, shed light on everyday life and household practices in the Village. They also reveal broader social changes, including shifts in consumer habits and the flow of goods that accompanied Iceland's modernization during the first half of the 20th century.

The lecture will be held in Icelandic.

Admission to the event is included with a museum ticket. Please note that a museum admission ticket also serves as a one-year membership pass, granting admission to all of the museum's exhibitions and events for one year from the date of purchase upon presentation of the ticket. Admission to exhibitions and children's events is free for everyone under 18 years of age.

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