The award-winning Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft is by the central harbour. Unlike the witches of the infamous Salem trials in New England, almost all of Iceland’s convicted witches were men. Most of their occult practices were simply old Viking traditions or superstitions, but hidden grimoires (magic books) full of puzzling runic designs were proof enough for the local witch hunters (the area's elite) to burn around 20 souls (mostly peasants) at the stake. Great multi-lingual descriptions detail their spells, and don't miss the ‘necropants’.
The tourist information office is here.
Another part of the museum, a turf-roofed ‘sorcerer’s cottage ’, lies up the coast in Bjarnarfjörður.
