The Sagas - Iceland´s most important cultural heritage.
In two exhibitons, The Settlement Exhibition and the Egils Saga Exhibition, The Settlement Centre tells the Saga of the settlement of Iceland and Iceland´s most famous viking and first poet Egill Skallagrimsson.
It gives the traveller a good foundation for further knowledge when travelling in Iceland. The prime objective of the Icelandic Settlement Centre at Borgarnes is to dramatically recreate the fascinating sagas surrounding the birth of this island nation. It is not a museum but rather an installation. Multi-media and theatrical techniques are employed to help the visitor experience first hand the trepidation and excitement of setting off over the open ocean for lands unknown. Audio guides in English, German, French, Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Icelandic lead the visitor on a voyage of discovery.
A complete circuit of each exhibition takes about 30 minutes. The centre is open all year with it´s restaurant, gift shop and theatrette.
Awards 2006 - 2009
1. The Tourist Industry Innovation Award 2006
2. The Icelandic Woman Entrepreneur Award 2007
3. International Innovation Award given by FCEM International Business Woman Assotiation
4. Eyrarrós - given to outstanding cultural projects in rural Iceland. - Eyrarrós is given by Reykjavik´s Art Festival, Icelandic Airlines and The Institute of Regional Development. It is one of Iceland´s most important awards given in this field, patroned by Iceland´s First Lady Dorrit Mousaieff.