Íslenska Stríðsárasafnið

East Iceland

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During WWII around 3000 Allied soldiers (10 times the local population) were based in Reyðarfjörður. At the top end of Heiðarvegur you’ll find the excellent (but pricey) Icelandic Wartime Museum, which details these strange few years. The building is surrounded by mines, Jeeps and aeroplane propellers, and holds other war relics. Photographs and tableaux provide a background to Iceland’s wartime involvement.

The museum is tucked behind a rusting set of army barracks, built as part of a hospital camp in 1943 but never used for that purpose.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Wilderness Center

    Wilderness Center

    28.16 MILES

    This brilliant attraction opened in 2016 and defies easy classification. It's a remote farm that offers museum exhibits, unique accommodation, local food,…

  • Steinasafn Petru

    Steinasafn Petru

    17.06 MILES

    The wondrous assemblage at Petra's Stone Collection was a lifelong labour of love for Petra Sveinsdóttir (1922–2012). Inside her house, stones and…

  • Hengifoss

    Hengifoss

    20.27 MILES

    Crossing the bridge across Lagarfljót on Rte 931, you’ll reach the parking area for lovely Hengifoss, Iceland’s second-highest waterfall. The falls…

  • Fólkvangur Neskaupstaðar

    Fólkvangur Neskaupstaðar

    18.08 MILES

    At the eastern end of town, where the road runs out, is this lovely nature reserve perfect for short strolls. Various paths run over boardwalks and past…

  • Rainbow Street

    Rainbow Street

    16.46 MILES

    This street is supremely photogenic: a rainbow is painted on the pavement, and the Blue Church serves as a sweet backdrop. It features in many advertising…

  • A car on the Öxi mountain pass, Eastern of Iceland - stock photo Öxi pass is a mountain pass in eastern region, Iceland.

    Öxi Pass (Route 939)

    18.88 MILES

    At the head of Berufjörður, the 19km Öxi mountain pass (Rte 939) offers a summer short cut to drivers en route to or from Egilsstaðir. The pass cuts about…

  • Skriðuklaustur

    Skriðuklaustur

    21.77 MILES

    Skriðuklaustur is the site of both an excavated, late-15th-century monastery and the photogenic home of an Icelandic author feted by the Third Reich. The…

  • Safnahúsið

    Safnahúsið

    16.99 MILES

    Three collections are clustered together in one bright-red harbour front warehouse, known as ‘Museum House’. Tryggvasafn showcases a collection of…

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Nearby East Iceland attractions

1. Sjóminjasafn Austurlands

6.12 MILES

Inside the 1816 black timber warehouse ‘Gamlabuð’, the East Iceland Maritime Museum illustrates two centuries of the east coast’s historic herring, shark…

2. Frakkar á Íslandsmiðum

9.57 MILES

Accessed through the lobby of Fosshotel Eastfjords, this quality museum (with very pricey admission) paints a detailed portrait of the French connection…

3. Auroras Iceland

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Right by the Fosshotel, this exhibition is staged in a restored building from 1882 and displays stunning images of the Northern Lights above…

4. Helgustaðanáma

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The remains of the world’s largest spar quarry lie east of Eskifjörður. Iceland spar (silfurberg in Icelandic) is a type of calcite crystal that is…

5. Flögufoss

16.11 MILES

From Rte 966 take the turn-off to Flögufoss, a 60m-high waterfall (19km west of Breiðdalsvík), if you feel like a scenic leg-stretch.

6. Viewpoint

16.26 MILES

Take a stroll up to the Hringsjá viewpoint from Fénaðarklöpp, for panoramas over the town and surrounds.

7. Rainbow Street

16.46 MILES

This street is supremely photogenic: a rainbow is painted on the pavement, and the Blue Church serves as a sweet backdrop. It features in many advertising…

8. Minjasafn Austurlands

16.47 MILES

Egilsstaðir’s cultural museum has sweet but unremarkable displays focusing on the region's history, and includes exhibits detailing the wild reindeer of…