Petra María Sveibsdóttir, Safn um steina / Stone Museum

images published here in agreement with Sophie Lepetit,

from her weblog (see documentation)

The collection of stones in the image above is located in Iceland in the small community Stöðvarfjörður, located along the northeastern coast of the isle. 

This community, with some 167 inhabitants (January 2026), is situated along a fjord of the same name,  lies approximately 628 km north east of Reykjavík.

 

Life and works

This Stone Museum was created by Petra María Sveibsdóttir, who was born on Deccember 21, 1922.

Her parents were Sveinn Björgólfsson and Svanhvít Lára Sigríður Pétursdóttir, who lived on a farm at Bæjarstaðir.

When she was five years old, the family moved to the village of Kirkjuból (now known as Stöðvarfjörður), where she began collecting stones to use in drawings and as decorations for tea parties she organized with her childhood friends.

At that time, there was no school in the village, so she received home schooling from her parents.

In 1936 she met Jón Ingimundarson, whom she married in 1945. The couple settled in a house in Stöðvarfjörður and would have four children.

Her husband had a job that kept him at sea a great deal. He died of a heart attack in 1974 while out at sea.

In 1946 Petra began collecting stones. 

She walked through the mountains and coastal areas near her home, each time bringing a few minerals back with her. 

Collecting stones became a true passion of Petra. 

The collection she amassed grew ever larger, and gradually, those living nearby began to see the stones, partly piled up in her garden as something special.

Petra also proved to have a knack for finding remarkable minerals, such as quartz crystals, jasper, unique zeolites, and obsidian. 

After her husband passed away in 1974, she opened her home and garden to the public and gradually her collection began to attract tourists from abroad and so the Stone Museum became an attraction in eastern Iceland.

Petra passed away on January 10, 2012.

Her home and garden have remained open to the public as a museum, contributing to Iceland’s cultural and natural heritage.

Documentation

* Article by Sophie Lepetit

* Wikipedia

*  Petra's stone collection

*  Petra’s Stone and Mineral Collection Travel Guide about stones

Petra María Sveibsdóttir,

Stone Museum

Fjarðarbraut 21, 

755 Stöðvarfjörður

Iceland

open daily from 09:00 to 17:00, from May 1st through October 15th.