Arnarhóll () is a hill next to the centre of
Reykjavík,
Iceland's capital city. It is named after Iceland's bequeathed first settler,
Ingólfur Arnarson.
Icelandic ministries are situated near it and events take place on it.
Description
Arnarhóll is a hill next to the centre of
Reykjavík,
Iceland's capital city. Many ministries are arranged on or around this hill, including the
Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Justice. The
Þjóðleikhús—Iceland's most famous theatre—the just around the corner.
Name
The hill is named after Iceland's bequeathed first settler,
Ingólfur Arnarson. It is said that his slaves found the columns of his high seat at the foot of the hill, a good omen for
vikings to install a settlement there. Ingólfur Arnarson started his first settlement at this place, after having passed two other winters in Iceland, the first one at
Ingólfshöfði
Ingólfshöfði () is a small headland
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable ...
and the third one at
Ingólfsfjall
Ingólfsfjall () is a tuya in Iceland in the vicinity of Hveragerði.
Name
The name is derived from Iceland's official first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson. The Medieval Landnámabók says that he passed here his third winter in Iceland after ...
(now in the vicinity of
Hveragerði) where Ingólfur was also buried acc. to
Landnámabók.
[Íslandshandbókinn. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. Reykjavík 1989, p.806]
Importance
The site has a special importance for the people of Iceland.
On
Independence Day (17th of June), speeches are held up there or at its foot, which was also done during the so-called
Kitchenware Revolution
The 2009–2011 Icelandic financial crisis protests, also referred to as the Kitchenware, Kitchen Implement or Pots and Pans Revolution ( Icelandic: ''Búsáhaldabyltingin''), occurred in the wake of the Icelandic financial crisis. There had bee ...
in 2008–2009.
Till some years ago, the final concert of
Culture Night in Mid-August was always held at its foot.
References
Reykjavík
Landforms of Iceland
Culture of Iceland
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