Opened in 1959, Akranes Folk Museum owes its existence to the drive and determination of one man, the Rev. Jón M. Guðjónsson (1905-1994). An avid collector with a deep respect for the traditions of his native land, Guðjónsson became pastor in Akranes in 1946, a time when the ways of the past were rapidly disappearing amid the massive social changes brought about by events surrounding the Second World War.
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Guðjónsson´s legacy to the people of Akranes in particular, and Iceland in general, is immeasurable, and the museum he leaves, behind, now long outgrown its original home, is tribute not only to his personal hard work and unshakable resolve, but a vibrant monument to a material culture and way of life now gone which formed the roots of a community, foundation of a town.