The Traveling Widower

A Herring Museum..Who Knew

Written by

Richb

in

A view of a marine museum featuring historic boats, including a large sailing vessel with a tan sail and a smaller boat with fishing gear and nets, all situated under a high ceiling.

Before leaving for the trip, I joked with friends about one of the itinerary items – a visit to a herring museum. I really like pickled herring, but a museum about herring? Really?

Well, at the time of writing this post, this visit is now in the top 3, along with the Volcano and glacier hike. And it wasn’t because I got to taste some pickled herring. 

This little town of Siglufjordur exists because of herring. In the early 1900’s, Norwegians basically built a town to support herring fishing, when the schools of fish shifted from Eastern Iceland to the North. They built docks, housing and fish processing factories. I never knew how complex the process was – the boats would come in, and men would dump buckets of fish into wooden trays for the “Herring Girls” to process – they would head, gut, and pack the fish in barrel, covered in salt. They were paid by the barrel, and worked many hours per day. The fishing company provided housing for the girls. There were also factories for processing herring, making fish meal and fish oil. The town grew and attracted workers from all over the country – almost everyone has family that worked here. Unfortunately, the herring stock crashed in the 1960’s due to overfishing, and the industry in the town crashed as well. The docks and factories fell into disrepair and ruins. 

The town recorded through commercial and tourist fishing, and they built this incredible museum to record the history of the town and the industry. There are a few hotels (ours was incredible) and some nice restaurants – nice place to visit. 

The museum has three buildings – the first is an original structure, which has historical information on the town and industry, recreated business offices and living quarters for the “Herring Girls” – it’s like taking a trip back in time. The second one recreates a processing plant – including the smell. The last one is marvelous – filled with actual fishing boats, models of boats, recreated fishing shacks – everything to do with herring fishing. You can walk around on one of the boats…very carefully. And we also did a herring tasting with some Icelandic dark rye bread. Yum. I passed on the schnapps though. Great experience overall (URL).

Here’s a bunch of photos from the town and the museum, including some really neat wooden statues from a local artist.  Great town – it’s in a narrow fjord, surrounded by high mountains, and they get a lot of snow. This place is close to the Arctic Circle. It was cold, raining and windy the day we toured the museum buildings. Brrrr…

Town Photos

A wooden dock with three bronze sculptures of women interacting around a barrel, and a fishing boat in the background on misty waters.
Two wooden sculptures of elderly men sitting on a bench in front of a bright yellow wall.
Harbor scene with various boats docked in front of a steep, snow-capped mountain under a cloudy sky.
A scenic view of a harbor with various fishing boats docked, surrounded by colorful buildings and mountains under a cloudy sky.
View of a colorful harbor scene through a large window, featuring boats and buildings, with a backdrop of mountains and blue sky.

The Herring Museum

The interior of a boat featuring a wooden ship's wheel, with a yellow door in the background and wooden walls surrounding it.
A close-up view of the vintage tugboat 'TÝR' displayed indoors, highlighting its distinct cabin with windows and a light on top.
An old fishing boat displayed inside a large, well-lit exhibit hall, with wooden flooring and various items surrounding it, including baskets and smaller boats.
A wooden sculpture depicting a person made of various pieces of wood, standing in an industrial setting with a corrugated metal wall and wooden barrels in the background.
Multiple vintage fishing boats are displayed inside a large indoor exhibit, with nets and fishing equipment present, highlighting maritime heritage.
View from a window showing a scenic landscape with mountains, a body of water, and boats. The window frame is white, and there is a box with metallic objects in the foreground.
A vintage office interior featuring a wooden desk with a typewriter and various stationery items. The room has light blue walls, a globe, framed maps, and an antique clock, creating a nostalgic atmosphere.
Historical panoramic image of Siglufjörður, showcasing the town and harbor with mountains in the background, displayed in a museum setting.
A large wooden sculpture of a woman wearing an orange dress and gloves, sitting on a wooden platform beside a barrel filled with fish.
Interior of a maritime museum featuring vintage boats, a large projection screen, and various fishing equipment displayed in a rustic setting.
Display of two detailed ship models, B/V Haflidi S.I. 1 and S.I. 2, in a glass case with informational plaque.
A wooden table displaying a plate of chocolate cake squares, a bottle of Brennivín, shot glasses, a bowl of green dip, and cups with toothpicks.

Peace

Comments

Leave a comment

More posts