__NOTOC__ The following is a timeline of the history of the city of

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, Iceland.

Prior to 20th century

* 1750s – textile workshops established. * 1752 – (house) built. * 1771 – Prison begins operating. * 1785 – "

Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established ...

bishop's seat is moved to Reykjavík." * 1786 ** Town charter granted by Danish government. **

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik College) is collegein Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík. The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains one of the oldest ...

(school) active. * 1796 – Lutheran Reykjavík Cathedral built. * 1798 –

Alþingi The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about east of what la ...

(Icelandic assembly, Althingi or

Althing The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Parliament, national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ('Thing (assembly), thing ...

) relocated to Reykjavík from

Þingvellir Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter thorn (letter), "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Althing, Alþing, the annual ...

. * 1800 ** 6 June: Althingi abolished. ** 11 July: "A new high court in Reykjavík takes over the responsibilities of Althingi." * 1801 – Lutheran Bishop of Iceland headquartered in Reykjavík. * 1816 –

Icelandic Literary Society The Icelandic Literary Society (), founded in 1816, is an organization dedicated to promoting and strengthening Icelandic language Icelandic ( ; , ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language from the Indo-European languages, Indo-E ...

founded. * 1825 – begins operating. * 1845 – Althingi active again. * 1846 –

Latin School The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...

relocated to Reykjavík from Bessastaðir. * 1847 – Theological seminary established. * 1848 – ' newspaper begins publication. * 1872 – Eymundsson bookshop in business. * 1874 ** 1000th anniversary of colonization. **

Thorvaldsen Thorvaldsen is a surname. People with the name include: * Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), Danish/Icelandic sculptor * Randi Thorvaldsen (1925–2011), Norwegian speedskater * Thor Thorvaldsen (1909–1987), Norwegian Olympic sailor * Unn Thorval ...

statue erected in

Austurvöllur Austurvöllur () is a public square in Reykjavík, Iceland. The square is a popular gathering place for the citizens of Reykjavík, and especially during good weather due to the prevalence of cafés on Vallarstræti and Pósthússtræti. It has ...

. * 1876 – Medical school opens. * 1879 – founded. * 1881 – Alþingishúsið (parliament house) built. * 1882 – in business. * 1886 – Landsbanki (bank) established. * 1890 – Population: 6,700 in town; 70,927 on

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

. * 1896 – '' Dagskrá'' daily newspaper begins publication. * 1897 – Reykjavík Theatre Company founded. * 1899 – Reykjavík Football Club formed.

20th century

* 1903 ** Office of Danish minister for Iceland relocated to Reykjavík from

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. ** Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík (church) built. * 1904 – (bank) established. * 1906 – cinema opens on (street). * 1907 – Reykjavík Athletic club formed. * 1908 –

Women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

takes effect in Reykjavík. * 1909 –

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...

building opens. * 1911 **

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

established. ** held. * 1912 – Route 41 (Iceland) (

Keflavík Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavík merged with nearby Njar ...

–Reykjavík) constructed. * 1913 – ''

Morgunblaðið ''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic daily newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland. It is currently the country's only daily printed newspaper and the newspaper of record. Hi ...

'' daily newspaper begins publication. * 1914 –

Eimskipafélag Íslands Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. (, ), trading as Eimskip (, ), is an international shipping company with 56 offices in 20 countries and four continents; Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Eimskip specialises in worldwide freight forwarding ...

(steamship company) founded. * 1915 ** January:

Prohibition in Iceland Prohibition in Iceland went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until 1 March 1989 (since celebrated as "Beer Day"). The ban had originally prohibited all alcohol, but from 1922 legalized wine and in 1935 legalized all alcoholic bevera ...

begins. ** 25 April: . * 1916 ** Icelandic Federation of Labour headquartered in Reykjavík. **

Social Democratic Party (Iceland) The Social Democratic Party () was a social-democratic political party in Iceland. It was founded in 1916, as the political representation of the trade unions of Iceland. History In 1920, its first member of the Althing, the Icelandic pa ...

founded in Reykjavík. * 1918 – January: Danish–Icelandic Act of Union signed in Alþingishúsið. * 1919 – Population: 16,154. * 1925 – Reykjavík City Orchestra formed (approximate date). * 1927 – (cinema) active. * 1929 – Landakotskirkja (church) built. * 1930 ** Ríkisútvarpið radio headquartered in Reykjavík. ** National Hospital opens. ** Reykjavík College of Music established. ** (labor dispute) occurs. ** in business. ** Population: 28,052. * 1932 – 9 November: Gúttóslagurinn (labor dispute) occurs. * 1940 – May: British occupation begins. * 1943 – (exhibit hall) built on (street). * 1944 ** Reykjavík becomes capital of Republic of Iceland. ** built. * 1946 – Civilian Reykjavík Airport in operation. * 1947 – (cinema) built. * 1949 – March: 1949 anti-NATO riot in Iceland. * 1950 **

Iceland Symphony Orchestra Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa (concert hall), Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution u ...

formed. ** Population: 55,980. * 1957 –

Árbæjarsafn Árbæjarsafn () is the historical museum of the city of Reykjavík as well as an open-air museum and a regional museum. Its purpose is to give the public an insight into the living conditions, work and recreational activities of the people of Rey ...

(history museum) founded. * 1961 – (cinema) in business. * 1965 **

Landsvirkjun Landsvirkjun, () the National Power Company of Iceland, is Iceland's largest electricity generator. Landsvirkjun operates 21 power plants in Iceland concentrated on five main areas of operation. History Landsvirkjun was founded on 1 July 196 ...

(national power company) established. **

Laugardalshöll Laugardalshöll (; also known as Laugardalshöllin and Laugardalsholl Sport Center) is a multi-purpose sports and exhibition venue located in the Laugardalur district of Iceland's capital Reykjavík. The complex consists of two main venues, a s ...

(arena) opens. * 1968 –

Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

established. * 1972 –

World Chess Championship 1972 The World Chess Championship 1972 was a match for the World Chess Championship between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. The match took place in the Laugardalshöll in Reykja ...

held in city. * 1974 – Population: 84,589. * 1975 – 24 October: Women's rights demonstration. * 1981 – House of Commerce built. * 1986 ** August: City bicentennial. ** October: USSR–USA

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

held in city. ** 9 November: Ships sunk in by environmentalist

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action t ...

. **

Hallgrímskirkja Hallgrímskirkja (, ''Church of Hallgrímur'') is a Protestant Lutheran ( Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. Known for its disti ...

(church) built. **

Sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

relationship established with

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, USA. * 1987 – Bíóborgin (cinema) active. * 1996 – Supreme Court of Iceland courthouse built. * 1998 – Population: 106,753. * 1999 ** Reykjavík Power Authority (utility) formed. ** Iceland Airwaves music festival begins. * 2000 –

Landspítali The Landspítali – The National University Hospital of Iceland () offers a wide range of clinical services in outpatient clinics, day patient units, inpatient wards, clinical laboratories and other divisions. Landspítalinn also operates the psy ...

(hospital) established.

21st century

* 2002 – Reykjavík Mosque opens. * 2005 – Population: 114,800 in city; 187,105 metro. * 2007 ** 18 April: ** Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson becomes mayor. ** Grand Hótel Reykjavík tower built. * 2008 ** October: Icelandic financial crisis protest begins. ** Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir becomes mayor. * 2009 **

2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests The 2009–2011 Icelandic financial crisis protests, also referred to as the Kitchenware, Kitchen Implement or Pots and Pans Revolution ( Icelandic: ''Búsáhaldabyltingin''), occurred after the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis. There had ...

. ** Höfðatorg Tower 1 built. * 2010 ** 29 May: Reykjavík City Council election, 2010 held. **

Jón Gnarr Jón Gnarr (; born Jón Gunnar Kristinsson on 2 January 1967) is an Icelanders, Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Mayor of Reykjavík, Mayor of Reykjavík from 2010 to 2014. He is currently a member of the Althing for ...

becomes mayor. **

Vatnsstígur 16-18 Vatnsstígur 16–18 is a residential tower located in downtown Reykjavík, Iceland. It is a part of a larger project called "shadow district" (Icelandic language, Icelandic: ''Skuggahverfi'') under phase 2. This tower is the tallest residential to ...

hi-rise built. * 2011 – Harpa (concert hall) opens. * 2012 – Population: 117,764 in city; 203,678 metro. * 2014 – Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson becomes mayor again.

References

Bibliography

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External links