In 1936 a group of Danish adventurers and scientists visited Iceland, traveling to Vatnajökull glacier where they conducted measurements and studies of Grímsvötn volcano, one of the major volcanoes hidden beneath the ice cap of Europe's largest glacier. Grímsvötn had erupted less than two years earlier, in 1934.
Read more: Gorgeous images of Reykjavík in 1910s and 20s: A charming small town
The whole expedition was documented on film. The fourteen minute long newsreel is a truly fascinating glimpse into a world long since gone: A rural Iceland where horses were the primary mode of transportation in most of the country, roads were few and far between and most rivers still unbridged. A significant part of the population still lived in traditional turf houses, living their lives in much the same way as they had done for centuries. The newsreel, which was only recently made available on the website of the Danish Film Institute, offers a taste of what it would have felt like to travel through this foreign land.
The voyage begins in Reykjavík, continuing by car to Kálfafell farm in South-East Iceland where the equipment was loaded onto horses. From there it continues to Vatnajökull and Grímsvötn volcano, where the expedition reached the crater of the volcano, which was still smoking hot after the 1934 eruption. The newsreel follows the scientific studies conducted by the expedition, before following the group back to Reykjavík. On the way back the group stops at Gullfoss waterfall as well as Skógafoss – both of which are still today among the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland.
In 1936 a group of Danish adventurers and scientists visited Iceland, traveling to Vatnajökull glacier where they conducted measurements and studies of Grímsvötn volcano, one of the major volcanoes hidden beneath the ice cap of Europe's largest glacier. Grímsvötn had erupted less than two years earlier, in 1934.
Read more: Gorgeous images of Reykjavík in 1910s and 20s: A charming small town
The whole expedition was documented on film. The fourteen minute long newsreel is a truly fascinating glimpse into a world long since gone: A rural Iceland where horses were the primary mode of transportation in most of the country, roads were few and far between and most rivers still unbridged. A significant part of the population still lived in traditional turf houses, living their lives in much the same way as they had done for centuries. The newsreel, which was only recently made available on the website of the Danish Film Institute, offers a taste of what it would have felt like to travel through this foreign land.
The voyage begins in Reykjavík, continuing by car to Kálfafell farm in South-East Iceland where the equipment was loaded onto horses. From there it continues to Vatnajökull and Grímsvötn volcano, where the expedition reached the crater of the volcano, which was still smoking hot after the 1934 eruption. The newsreel follows the scientific studies conducted by the expedition, before following the group back to Reykjavík. On the way back the group stops at Gullfoss waterfall as well as Skógafoss – both of which are still today among the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland.
