A task force on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Culture and City of Reykjavík has concluded that it is possible for the Icelandic Museum of Natural History (NMÍ) establish a natural history exhibition in Reykjavík landmark building Perlan.

Perlan. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.

However, according to the task force’s evaluation, the project would require amendments to the building. In its current state, Perlan is not suited as a future location for NMÍ’s collection. Talks between the city and state will now commence to further examine the financial basis for the ideas presented by the task force, Fréttablaðið reports.

This was mentioned in the response of Minister of Education and Culture Katrín Jakobsdóttir on Monday to an enquiry by Progressive Party MP Siv Friðleifsdóttir on the position of NMÍ, which will lose its current facilities at the end of this year.

Siv stated that the uncertainty of it NMÍ’s future is unacceptable given that it is one of the nation’s three main museums.

In August the Ministry of Education and Culture and the City of Reykjavík appointed the task force to look into whether NMÍ could display its collection in Perlan.

Earlier this year, city authorities planned to sell Perlan and a group of investors, who were planning to open a spa and hotel next to the building, made an acquisition offer but canceled it after their ideas were met with opposition.

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ESA