The predecessor of the Húsavík Whale Museum was a small exhibition in Hotel Husavik that opened in 1997. At the time whale watching was beginning its third season in Húsavík‘s Skjálfandi bay and the growing popularity gave the Húsavík Hotel‘s manager Páll Þór Jónsson the idea to open an exhibition dedicated solely to whales. He contacted Ásbjörn Björgvinsson and convinced him to move to Húsavík, create the exhibition and to be the official caretaker.

Ásbjörn went to London to meet Natural history museum‘s curator Richard Sabin. The main purpose was to learn whalebone cleaning as the London‘s Natural History Museum is the biggest skeleton museum in the world. Richard Sabin has been in some connection with Húsavík whale museum ever since. He for an example directed operations when whalebones were dug out in Keflavík á Ströndum in 2001 which you can read more about in the museum‘s biology room. Most recently Mr. Sabin was one of the headliners at the Whale Museum’s annual Whale Congress in 2019.

Forveri Hvalasafnsins á Húsavík var lítil sýning í sal félagsheimilisins á efri hæð Hótels Húsavíkur sem opnaði árið 1997. Á þessum tíma voru áætlaðar hvalaskoðunarferðir í boði þriðja árið í röð frá Húsavík og fékk hótelstjóri staðarhótelsins Páll Þór Jónsson þá hugmynd að opna sýningu á hótelinu tileinkaða hvölum. Ásbjörn Björgvinsson var fenginn til að leiða verkið og flutti hann norður ásamt fjölskyldu sinni í janúar 1997.

Ásbjörn fór til Englands á Breska náttúrusögusafnið á fund Richard Sabin sýningarstjóra safnsins í þeim tilgangi að læra að verka af hvalbeinunum en þar er að finna stærsta beinagrindasafn heims. Richard Sabin hefur verið í tengslum við safnið og Húsavík allar götur síðan. Hann stjórnaði til að mynda aðgerðum við uppgröft hvalbeina á Keflavík á Ströndum árið 2001 en þeim fundi er gerð betur skil í einu af sýningarrýmum safnsins.

Richard

The Húsavík Whale Museum celebrated its 20th anniversary last weekend. The celebration was originally scheduled to take place in 2018 but due to several changes in the museum‘s staff the decision was made to postpone the events for a year.
                The schedule began on Thursday evening when the 5th Whale Congress was held. Several speakers were on the set-list, including four who travelled from England for the event. Among them were two of the museum‘s longtime friends, Natural History Museum London‘s principal curator of mammals Richard Sabin and whale- and dolphin specialist Erich Hoyt. Both of them have been in a good collaboration with the Húsavík Whale Museum from its establishment and have visited Húsavík several times. The congress was attended by 70 people.

                On Friday, the Húsavík Whale Museum‘s 20th anniversary exhibition was reveiled. The exhibition tells the story of the museum from as early as its premises were created by the popularity of whale watching to the present era.

                On Saturday between 14-16 the museum was open on free entry for a special anniversary celebration. A big anniversary cake from the local bakery was offered for about 200 visitors who attended the event. It was really enjoying to witness all the enthusiasm the museum got from people from all ages.

The staff of the Húsavík Whale Museum would like to thank all of those who attended the events of the anniversary celebration, the speakers of the whale congress and all whom helped in one way or another to make this happen.