Húsavík Whale Museum

The Húsavík Whale Museum is a non-profit organization established in 1997. The Húsavík Whale Museum is situated in Húsavík, a small town in north east Iceland, on the shores of Skjálfandi Bay, just below the Arctic Circle at 66° N. It began as a small exhibit on whales in the town’s hotel in summer 1997. Shortly after that, the exhibition was moved into the newly renovated part of the baiting shed at the harbor and the shareholding business “Húsavík Whale Centre ehf” was established. Due to the growing popularity, it was obvious that a larger and more suitable building was needed after only 3 years. In 2000, the town’s old slaughterhouse (built in 1931 and abandoned in the 1980s) was purchased, remodeled, and officially opened in June 2002. In 2004, the shareholding business turned into a non-profit organization and was renamed “The Húsavík Whale Museum.” By 2005, a comprehensive exhibition on the ecology of whales was added.