Applications are open until 4:00 PM, Monday, November 2, 2026 APPLICATION for a one-year grant from the 2027 main allocation of the museum fund Recognized museums can apply for one-year grants, in addition to other museums, lead museums, collection representatives, institutions, and exhibitions can apply for a grant from the Collections Fund in collaboration with accredited museums, with the accredited museum as the responsible party. …

Submission of the 2026 Annual Report for Accredited Museums is now open, and the deadline is October 23. The annual report for accredited museums to the Museum Council is part of the council's oversight of a museum's operations. Information from these reports is published, among other places, in the Museum Council's Annual Reports, and data is also collected for the Central Bureau of Statistics of Iceland, which publishes it on its website. Contingency plans …

Protecting what matters - Hanaholmen Heritage 2026 The newly released report, Protecting What Matters – Hanaholmen Heritage 2026, discusses the preparedness and protection of cultural heritage in the Nordic and Baltic countries in light of growing threats. The report was prepared following extensive expert consultation in the first half of 2026 under the title Hanaholmen Heritage, which concluded with a conference on May 28, …

Hanaholmen Heritage – The Nordic-Baltic Cooperation for Cultural Heritage and Preparedness. Last May, Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director of the National Museum Board, and Rúnar Leifsson, Director of the National Heritage Institute of Iceland, attended a three-day workshop in Hanaholmen, Finland. They were appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education as representatives of Iceland in the Hanaholmen Heritage – The Nordic-Baltic Cooperation for Cultural Heritage … project.

Þóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director of the Museum Council, visited Fjarðabyggð on Tuesday, September 1st. The purpose of the trip was to meet and give a presentation to the board of the Fjarðabyggð Cultural Center, as well as to learn about the diverse activities of the municipality's museums and the extensive renovations currently underway to their facilities. Variety of museums and storage facilities visited Along with staff from the Fjarðabyggð Cultural Center, Þóra …

„"Changing tactics, changing targets: the evolving nature of museum heists" is the title of a newly released Europol report, which paints a grim picture of changing methods and a growing threat regarding the theft of museum artifacts. The report highlights that museum heists are becoming increasingly sophisticated and violent, as organized crime groups employ increased …

Open for applications until October 6, 2026. The Museum Council reminds you that the deadline for applications for recognition under the Museum Act No. 141/2011 is October 6, 2026. All information about applications can be found here: https://safnarad.is/vidurkennd-sofn/umsokn-um-vidurkenningu/ 

The 2025 Annual Report of the Museum Council has been published on the Museum Council's website. The report can be found here. 

The office of the Museum Council will be closed for summer vacation from Wednesday, July 1st, to August 4th. If your matter is urgent, you can reach Thóra Björk Ólafsdóttir, Executive Director of the Museum Council, at 820-5450. We would like to remind travelers that museums can be visited anywhere in the country, and a map showing their locations can be found on our website.

The Board of Museums held its 255th meeting at the Reykjavík Botanical Garden on May 27. The Reykjavík Botanical Garden is a recognized museum owned by the City of Reykjavík and the only recognized museum in Iceland that is a botanical garden – a living museum under the open sky. Museum Director Hjörtur Þorbjörnsson welcomed the council and spoke about the history of the garden and its development over the years. He also discussed …