Whales of Iceland is a permanent exhibition in Reykjavik’s harbour area, featuring life-size models of the 23 species found around the country’s coast

At Whales of Iceland, a new permanent museum, visitors walk below full-scale models of these graceful giants.

The exhibition features 23 species found in Icelandic waters, including beluga, humpback, minke whales and orcas or killer whales.

A whale museum in a country that still hunts the creatures may raise eyebrows. Whales are still slaughtered in Icelandic waters, despite an international ban, but opposition to the practice is growing among Icelanders – and whale tourism has become a major attraction, with a quarter of visitors taking a whale tour.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), a charity that campaigns against whaling, has launched an initiative to promote Iceland as a whale nation and not a whaling nation, encouraging visitors to go whale watching and not to eat whale meat while there (more tourists eat it than locals). Danny Groves of WDC said: “We hope that this museum will help change perceptions and counter the whale hunting industry in Iceland.”

The models are made from steel and foam.

Based at the harbour, a few minutes’ walk from Reykjavik city centre, the exhibition costs 2.900 IKR (£14) for adults and 1.500 IKR (£7) for kids (7-15yrs) or 5.800 IKR (£28) for a family (two adults, two children