Petra and the beginning of the collection

Ljósbjörg Petra María Sveinsdóttir was born in 1922 and died in 2012. She became interested in stones as a child, but the collection began growing seriously in 1946, when she and her husband, Jón Ingimundarson — usually known as Nenni — moved into their home at Sunnuhlíð in Stöðvarfjörður.

Having a house and land gave Petra somewhere to keep what she found. She walked through the surrounding mountains and valleys looking for unusual specimens, often carrying the stones home herself. Most came from Stöðvarfjörður and elsewhere in East Iceland, although the museum now also contains material from other parts of Iceland and specimens donated from abroad.

Petra continued collecting for more than sixty years. After Nenni died in 1974, she opened her home and collection to visitors. What had begun as a private passion gradually became a museum, although it never entirely stopped feeling like someone’s home.

A collection shaped by Petra’s eye

Petra did not begin as a geologist building a systematic scientific collection. She chose stones because something about their colour, surface or form caught her attention.

That personal method remains important to understanding the collection. The specimens are not interesting only because of what type of mineral they contain. They also reveal what one person noticed and considered worth carrying home.

The museum now provides more geological interpretation than it once did. Stones inside the house are labelled with mineral names and information about their composition. Outdoor displays explain how different stones were formed, with QR codes providing translations into several languages.

Among the collection are quartz crystals, agates, calcite, jasper, zeolites, obsidian, Iceland spar, opal and petrified wood. Most of the specimens were found in East Iceland, where erosion has exposed some of the country’s oldest bedrock and a considerable range of secondary minerals.

More than stones

The house itself is part of the experience. It has been preserved much as it was when Petra lived there, allowing visitors to see the collection within the domestic space where it developed.

Stones occupy shelves, tables and rooms, but Petra’s collecting extended far beyond geology. The museum also contains shells, conches, eggs and preserved birds, along with collections of pens, keyrings, handkerchiefs and other everyday objects.

This mixture gives the museum much of its character. It is neither a conventional natural-history institution nor simply a room filled with mineral specimens. It is the physical record of a lifelong urge to notice, gather and preserve.

The collection remains an independent family operation, owned and run by Petra’s descendants. Her children and grandchildren also helped with collecting, gardening and the development of the museum during her lifetime.

The garden

The garden at Sunnuhlíð is almost as important as the collection inside the house. Petra was a dedicated gardener who planted trees to shelter the property from cold northerly winds and salt carried from the sea.

Stones are incorporated throughout the grounds among trees, flowers, paths and low walls. Some of the larger specimens are displayed outdoors, while geological panels explain the different materials and how they formed. Benches provide places to sit among the collection and vegetation.

The relationship between the garden and the stones is deliberate. Minerals that formed over millions of years sit among living plants that change through the summer, placing Petra’s collection back within a natural setting rather than separating it entirely from the landscape.

When the museum is closed, parts of the garden and outdoor collection can still be seen from outside the fence. Visitors should remain outside the property and return during opening hours to enter the garden or house.

Visiting Petra’s Stone Collection

Petra’s Stone Collection stands beside Route 1 as it passes through Stöðvarfjörður, between Fáskrúðsfjörður and Breiðdalsvík. The house is easy to recognise from the road, and free parking is available in front of the museum.

The collection is currently open daily from 1 May to 15 October, between 09:00 and 17:00. Seasonal schedules can change, so visitors travelling specifically to see the museum should confirm current information on its official website.

Facilities include toilets, a café, a small gift shop and access for visitors with reduced mobility. Advance booking is generally unnecessary during regular opening hours, although larger groups should contact the museum beforehand.

The rooms inside Petra’s former home are relatively small. Photographers should work handheld, avoid blocking passages and be considerate of other visitors. Ask staff before using specialised equipment or arranging more deliberate photographs indoors.

Stöðvarfjörður itself will be covered on a separate destination page. This page remains focused on Petra, her home, the garden and the collection she spent a lifetime creating.

• • Petra Sveinsdóttir began collecting stones during childhood and started collecting seriously after moving to Sunnuhlíð in 1946.
  • She opened her home and collection to visitors in 1974.
  • Petra continued collecting for more than sixty years.
  • Most of the stones came from Stöðvarfjörður and elsewhere in East Iceland.
  • The museum contains shells, eggs, preserved birds and everyday collectables as well as stones.
  • Petra’s former home has been preserved as part of the museum.
  • The collection is now owned and operated by Petra’s descendants.