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The Strong Culture and Heritage of Iceland
By: Dagur Jonsson
Iceland is a country located in the north of Europe. The surprising thing about Iceland is that although entire Europe is connected with a very good network of railways, this is a country which can be accessed only by air transport or sea transport. The culture of this country is full of amazing colors. Infact it was because of the culture and somewhere the expectation of freedom and adventure that motivated early Vikings to settle here way back in ninth century.
Basically, it is believed that Icelanders are of Scandinavian origin with a small mixture of Celtic blood. Even now also, for every individual in Iceland, their freedom and self-respect is the thing the matters the most. The political stability is displayed in the world's oldest parliamentary democracy. Tourists going to Iceland will notice a fact that most of Icelanders are of a classless society and that they still have a very strong literary tradition. Interest for cultural heritage of Iceland is inbuilt in every child that takes birth there and probably, this is the reason why the cultures and traditions of Iceland look very fresh. People of Iceland consider cultures and traditions as the identity of their older generations and a treasure for the generations to come. This statement is very strongly supported by the writings in Icelandic sagas and literary writing works of medieval period. Remember that these works are regarded as the classics of the world literature. Creative arts and performing arts are thriving very successfully in Iceland and it's very heartening and motivating to see this in a land which has total population of just around three hundred thousand.
It is believed there, that the culture of Iceland is as broad as its landscape. Let me tell you that Iceland has much more than raw and unspoiled nature. Icelandic Writers, composers, actors, artists and musicians, all are very famous in the world. Some of these famous names are the names of Halldor Laxness, Jon Leifs, Kristjan Johansson, Sigur Ros and Bjork. The first class attractions of Iceland include the very famous Reykjavik art festival, the museums and the restaurants made in ancient arts. In addition to these, there are various art galleries and museums in and around Reykjavik area. The good thing about Iceland is that every region there have its own museum [urban and rural] to display the local history and facts about the atmosphere of that region. No doubt, museum of every region is worth a visit which can give you a closer view of Icelandic life and culture of both past age and present age. There are more than 15 public and private libraries in the capital area of Reykjavik. The most famous are the National and University Library of Iceland and Headquarters of Municipal Library. Every book and document related to Iceland's past, present and future are available here.
In the past few years, music of Iceland has broken its shackles and spread all around the world and this is all because of huge success and fame gained throughout the world by some superstar musicians of Iceland like Sigur Ros, Mum, Mugison, Bjorg and The Sugar cubes. However, Iceland is not short of artists of classical, jazz, folk, experimental, dance, pop and rock music. There are many music stores in the shopping malls in Reykjavik which can provide you the huge variety of Icelandic music right from sixties to present date.
Although Iceland is considered a much unknown country to the world but the culture and the art is not unknown, Infact it is creating waves and the world of arts and cultures.
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Streetdirectory.com Europe Destinations Guide provides detailed travel reviews on the different European cities including when to visit Europe and where to go. The reviews and editorials include hostel reviews, vacation rentals, sightseeing tours, online hotel reservations, packing lists, a message board forum, hotel directory and many tips for travel in Europe. This Europe Destinations guide is a definite must-read before visiting Europe.