Reykjavik Pure Energy

Visitors to Reykjavik experience easily the pure energy at the heart of Iceland's capital city – whether from the boiling thermal energy underground, the natural green energy within the city and around it, or the lively culture and fun-filled nightlife.

Think of the qualities of a great city – fun,space,clean air,nature,culture - and Reykjavik has them in spades. It has the features of a modern, forward-looking society which are complemented by a close connection to beautiful nature right on the city's doorstep. Reykjavik is a great place to visit, whether for some cultural nourishment, a spot of unbridled fun or to recharge your batteries.Reykjavik is, at the same time a small town and a capital city, combining the benefits of both. It has a thriving cultural life in which its citizens take a very active part.

Reykjavik enjoys a surprisingly energetic and inspiring community of artists, musicians, writers and designers. Since medieval times, Icelandic culture has produced a rich selection of literary gems,and Icelanders still value books above all else. Libraries,book shops and literary cafés attest to this living cultural heritage.

Twelve hundred years of Icelandic culture can be explored in a variety of museums in Reykjavik some recreating the Viking heritage of the modern-day Icelanders. In recent years, Reykjavik has become better known for its uniquely creative and buzzing music scene spanning the whole scale from the Iceland Symphony Orchestra to Björk and Sigur Rós.
 
A walk through the streets of Reykjavik will treat you to a brilliant display of the colors of the city's several small neighborhoods. This is a modern city, characterized by an interesting contrast of modern and vintage buildings. Reykjavik held the title European City of Culture in year 2000,and has since flourished as a cultural city. Reykjavik is by far the largest community in Iceland, with a population of about 120,000.Including the neighboring towns,the capital area has a total population of about 200,000, which is about 60% of Iceland's population of 320,000 people.

Iceland was settled by Norwegian and Celtic immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries AD According to the medieval Book of Settlements, Ingolfur Arnarson the first settler of Iceland built his farm on the peninsula where Reykjavik stands today. The place was named Reykjavik “Smoky Bay” - after the columns of steam that rose from the hot springs in the area and made such a profound impression on the original settlers.

Many centuries later, around the middle of the 18th century, a small town started to grow around the farm of Reykjavik, thanks to Royal Treasurer Skuli Magnusson, known as the Father of Reykjavik, who established wool workshops in Reykjavik as part of his efforts to modernize the Icelandic economy.This led to Reykjavik´s beginnings as an urban settlement.Reykjavik received its town charter in 1786.

The Icelandic parliament, Althing,was founded in 930 AD at Thingvellir in the southwest. In 1798 the Althing was abolished, but in 1845 it was re-established in Reykjavik, where the country's government and administration were now located. In due course, when Iceland won Home Rule and then independence from Danish rule,Reykjavik became the capital of Iceland. With the rapid economic progress of the 20th century, Reykjavik grew steadily, but developed especially fast in the second half of the century.

For a living view of Reykjavik's past, visit the open-air Reykjavik City Museum - Arbaejarsafn, located in the eastern part of the capital. The newly opened and innovative Reykjavik 871 +/-2 Settlement Exhibition, located on Adalstraeti in the city centre, allows visitors to view the recently discovered, oldest settlement ruins in Reykjavik and Iceland (possibly those of Ingolfur Arnarson or his descendants), featuring an original Vikingage longhouse.