Njarðarskemma

Njarðarskemma is a herring warehouse, built in 1930. There we exhibit a variety of items and artifacts related to the technological- and electric part of the herring industry. First, we see the factories spare part garage and the laboratory where daily they monitored the chemical content and quality of the products; meal and oil.
Secondly visitors can learn about the electric power. Each factory was traditionally electrostatic, oil or steam powered.

Ljósastöðin 1913. The Hvanneyrará hydro-electric power station is the fourth oldest in Iceland. Electricity from the power station was very limited and usually only used for lighting. In the bright summer months, however, the herring industry received all the electricity output. The power stations equipment is displayed at Njarðarskemma, where we see the turbine, governor and generator.

Skeiðsfoss hydropower station 1945. The fast-growing herring town needed a lot of electricity; many fishmeal and fish oil factories were operated, in addition to the barrel factory and freezing plants. Skeiðsfoss hydropower station came to be in 1945, with capacity of 12 GWh per year. Electricity was transmitted to Siglufjörður through a 23 km. long line. Among other items, eight connection-boxes from the Skeiðsfoss substation in Siglufjörður are exhibited at Njarðarskemma.

The Atlas 1939. The fifth herring factory erected at Siglufjörður, owned by German industrialist Carl Paul, opened in 1926. It was taken over by the State Herring Factories in 1933. The generator from the Paul Factory displayed in Njarðarskemma is from 1939. It comprises a 400 hp ATLAS diesel engine and a 368 hp dynamo, with 270 kW capacity.

Steam turbine from SR 46. The largest and most productive State Herring Factory, was built at Siglufjörður during World War II and opened in 1946. The factory's maximum capacity was 1300 tons/day. The steam turbine displayed in Njarðarskemma is a Swedish Stal Ångturbin, 1360 hp and with 1000 kW capacity.

Alongside the generators are two old workshops set up for exhibition. One from the middle of the 20th century, owned by mechanic Óskar Berg Elefsen, and the other one from early 20. century, owned by Andrés Þorsteinsson and later his son, Jóhann Andrésson. These workshops are a good example of the work of independent tradesman who worked alongside mechanical workshops of the herring factories and served fishing vessels and other parts of the industry as well.

The exhibition in Njarðarskemma was inaugurated in June 2015 and is the fifth Museum Exhibition.