From the Technical Museum’s exhibition at Haustroði autumn festival in Seyðisfjörður in early October 2024.
About the exhibition
The exhibition “Many remember Jósef on the bike” at Haustroði was in memory of Josef Niederberger, a frequent visitor in Iceland. He spent a lot of time in the northeast and made many good friends in the area with whom he maintained a good relationship with.
Josef Niederberger traveled around Iceland on his bike for a total of 23 summers and was a well-known traveller. Josef was from Switzerland, just like his 1964 Swiss mail carrier bike. The bike worked well for him and he made a point of noting that he had never had a flat tire on these trips, let alone run out of air.
During those years, he always camped in a small red tent, which could be
seen in the moors, by rivers, or hills, often staying at the same spot for
days or weeks.
Josef was a lover of nature, finding joy in both the small and the grand aspects of it. The songs of birds, the sound of streams, the scent of flowers, and sunrises all brought him pleasure. He often illustrated his experiences in bright colors, creating true artworks in the spirit of old nature artists.
He particularly loved Icelandic water, claiming it was perfect for brewing good coffee. When asked how he first visited Iceland, he traced it back to the book “Nonni and Manni” by Jón Sveinsson:
After reading that book, I became enchanted with your country. When I got a year’s leave in 1981, I had the chance to visit your northern island. I planned to stay for three weeks but ended up staying for three months. I was completely captivated by Iceland’s powerful yet pristine nature, finding it untouched and the hospitality endless.
In 2007, Skúli Ragnarsson, a farmer in Ytra-Åland in Þistilfjörður, gave him an old Suzuki jeep with the registration number H-201, which replaced the yellow bike and the red curtain. Jósef turned the jeep into a tiny camper where every centimeter of space was used. It had sleeping space for one person, cooking facilities and an office.
The wheels were donated to Josef Täkniminjasafn Austurland at the end of September 2007 when the motor home was ready for use.
People loved the letters and postcards that Josef sent them and many of them are preserved.
Josef Niederberger passed away on August 10, 2024.
Curator and text editor: Elfa Hlín Sigrúnar, Pétursdóttir
Exhibition design and photographs: Ingvi Örn Þorsteinsson
Items: Haraldur Björn Halldórsson