This museum is a part of the Municipal History Museum. Its main function is to bring into perspective the way of living, the working conditions and pastime of the people of Reykjavik in the past. The museum also keeps and registers old houses, relics and antiquities. In 1957 the town council decided to open a park with a collection of old houses of cultural value for the capital. The museum was opened the same summer.

Most of the houses on the museum grounds were removed from the old centre of Reykjavik and their number is constantly growing. They are quite interesting, both outside and inside. The museum grounds can be divided into five areas: 

On the Square the largest houses, two storied wooden houses from the latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, are standing.

The Village displays smaller houses, industrial buildings and dwellings of common workers, from the 19th and 20^th centuries.

In the Harbour area are two large and black commercial houses from the trading post Vopnafiord in the Northeast, a toy collection and a lecture hall.

The Rural Area consists of the old farm, Arbaer, and other buildings connected with farming and rural communities. 

The Machine Museum contains among other things the country's first steam locomotive, the steam roller Briet, old fire engines etc. The Arbaer Museum is open during the summer months, but receives school classes and groups the whole year round upon request. The museum has organized guided cultural walks through the Ellidaar valley during summer. Museume is open June, July and August.
Tel.: 411-6300 minjasafn@reykjavik.is