Reykjavík Grapevine - 31.07.2015, Qupperneq 42

42 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 11 — 2015LEMÚRINN
Lemúrinn is an Icelandic web magazine (it's also the Icelandic word for the native
primate of Madagascar). A winner of the 2012 Web Awards, Lemúrinn.is covers
all things strange and interesting. Go check it out at www.lemurinn.is
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LAUGAVEGUR 36 · 101 REYKJAVIK
Hallgrímskirkja is arguably Reykjavík’s most emblematic
landmark. The Lutheran church was commissioned in
1937 and was built over the course of forty years, between
1945 and 1986. During this long construction period, the
church, with its 75-metre tower, resembled a skeleton,
as you can see in these photos. Originally, the architect,
Guðjón Samúelsson, envisioned a cluster of buildings
around the church, forming what he called “The Citadel of
Icelandic Culture.” In the end, though, the church was the
only building from the project to rise on the Skólavörðuholt
hill.
Words
Lemúrinn
Photo
Provided by Lemúrinn
The Skeleton
On The Hill
A look at Hallgrímskirkja
in its infancy
Descriptions
1 In this photo from 1982, the
church still resembles a skeleton,
towering over Reykjavík.
2 Masses were held in the unfin-
ished church building from 1948 on.
Here, an early mass is held under the
open sky.
3 Jakob Jónsson, the parish pastor
for over three decades, inspects the
ongoing construction.
4 During World War II, the British
Forces lived in Nissen huts on the hill.
They named the place Camp Skipton,
after a town in North Yorkshire in
England.
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