Historic Cities · Iceland
Reykjavík through the ages
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located on the southern shore of the Faxaflói bay in southwest Iceland and has a latitude of 64°08′ N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state.
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Reykjavík in 1900
Timber-town Reykjavík
Reykjavík in 1900 is a compact timber-and-turf capital of roughly six thousand people, a coastal town gathered at the edge of Faxaflói bay. The walk traces the town from the fishing beach and drying racks to Laugavegur's wooden shops, through turf lanes and Austurvöllur with the Alþingi and cathedral, ending at a high view toward Viðey and the blue bulk of Esja.
The skyline is low and domestic: one- and two-storey timber houses with painted weatherboards, interspersed with older turf-roofed cottages and sod walls. Narrow muddy streets and short wooden bridges follow a small brook; chimneys send thin columns of smoke into grey northern light. The stone Alþingishúsið and the white cathedral mark Austurvöllur, while the shore offers boats hauled up on sand, long wooden drying-racks, and the distant islands of Viðey and the dark mass of Esja.
The walk — 22 streets, squares and views
Approach from Viðey → Grófin fishing beach → Hafnarstræti → Vesturgata → Lækjargata → Bridge over the Lækur → Bankastræti → Laugavegur shops → Aðalstræti → Grjótaþorp lanes → …
Step inside — 13 interiors
Viðey Farmhouse Parlor · Fish Curing Shed · Harbour Warehouse Loft · Baker's Oven Room · Counting-House · Merchant's Barrel Shop · Turf-Walled Farm Kitchen · Latin School Classroom · Alþingi Chamber · Cathedral Box Pews · Minister's Parlour · Pond Boathouse · Farm Longroom
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Reykjavík.
Reykjavík in 1930
Reykjavík of the Millennium
Reykjavík in 1930 is a small but energetic capital at the moment of Iceland’s thousand‑year Alþingi millennium, when the city fills with visitors, flags and civic ceremony. The walk crosses the new stone harbour and trawler quays, the market streets and saltfish yards, the parliament lawns and the Tjörnin pond, and finishes on a high point that looks across Faxaflói to Esja and Viðey.
Low rows of timber houses and corrugated iron warehouses cluster around a new stone harbour; short stone and concrete public buildings punctuate a largely wooden town. The new trawler quays are lined with dark hulls, drying racks and saltfish sheds, while Laugavegur and Bankastræti offer painted shopfronts and awnings. Skólavörðuholt rises behind the town, Fríkirkjan’s wooden spire and Landakot’s concrete church stand out, and the bay’s wide sweep opens to Viðey and the blue bulk of Esja.
The walk — 22 streets, squares and views
Approach from Faxaflói → Viðey Ferry Landing → Grandagarður Stone Harbour → Trawler Quays → Grandi Drying Yards → Tryggvagata Warehouse Row → Lækjargata by the Stream → Posthusstræti & Hotel Borg → Austurvöllur Park → Alþingishúsið Exterior → …
Step inside — 14 interiors
Viðey Manor Drawing Room · Harbourmaster's Office · Trawler Galley Below Deck · Saltfish Curing Shed · Warehouse Counting Office · Hotel Borg Dining Room · Alþingi Assembly Chamber · Publisher's Back Room · Skólavörðuholt Schoolroom · Fríkirkjan Nave · Landakot Basilica Nave · Municipal Records Office · Sportsmen's Changing Room · Communal Washhouse Pool Room
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Reykjavík.
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