The Nordic House ( is, Norræna húsið ) in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

is a cultural institution opened in 1968 and operated by the

Nordic Council of Ministers The Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental forum established after the Helsinki Treaty. The purpose of the Nordic Council of Ministers is to complement the Nordic Council and promote Nordic cooperation. Structure The governme ...

. Its goal is to foster and support cultural connections between

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and the other Nordic countries. To this end the Nordic House organises a diverse program of cultural events, exhibitions, seminars and activities & courses for children. It is the venue for several events in the Icelandic cultural calendar: the Reykjavík International Film and Literary Festivals, Iceland Airwaves and Design March. The Nordic House maintains a library that is unique in Iceland because of its architecture and design by

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

and its collection of over 30,000 items in seven Nordic languages, though not including Icelandic. Library users may loan books, eBooks, films, magazines and graphic art by Nordic artists from the Artotek, study or have a cup of coffee. The Nordic House has an exhibition space (Hvelfing), auditoriums and a children's library. Dill Restaurant was also originally located there; the current restaurant i
SÓNÓ
which serves fresh, vegetarian food. Reykjavík 16

The Nordic House was designed by the Finnish modernist architect

. One of his later works, it features most of Aalto's signature traits: for example, the organic shape of the ridgeline of the ultramarine-tiled roof, echoing the range of mountains in the distance; the central well in the library; and the extensive use of white, tile and wood throughout the building. Aalto also designed most of the furnishings in most of his buildings. In the Nordic House, all installed furnishings, lamps and almost all of the furniture are by Aalto. The construction of the building was overseen and managed by

Elissa Aalto Elissa Aalto (born Elsa Kaisa Mäkiniemi, 22 November 1922 – 12 April 1994) was a Finnish architect.Virtanen, Berit: "Obituary: Elissa Aalto", in ''The Independent'', 23 April 1994 Life Elsa Mäkiniemi graduated in architecture from the Helsink ...

who in close collaboration with the project architect Ilona Lehtinen, also completed the drawings for the construction. The current Director is Sabina Westerholm."Om húsið: Starfsfólk og stjórn"
Nordic House, retrieved 21 July 2020 .

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Homepage
* https://www.norden.org/en {{Coord, 64.1381, -21.9469, type:landmark_region:IS, display=title Buildings and structures in Reykjavík Tourist attractions in Reykjavík

See also

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