Iceland review - 2004, Page 82

ICELAND REVIEW SUPPLEMENT / 80
RAISING A FAMILY IN A NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD
The Town of Kópavogur
The Town of Kópavogur lies to the south of the capital and has grown in the past few years
from an offshoot of Reykjavík to a developing community on its own. As with many towns
that grow quickly, the beating heart of Kópavogur is on its edge. That edge is known as the
Cultural Centre of Kópavogur and it’s there that you’ll find the Gerdarsafn Art Museum, the
Natural History Museum, the Salurinn Concert Hall, and the Kópavogur Public Library.
Together with the Kópavogur Swimming Pool, these places are what make Kópavogur so
popular with young families.
Kópavogur Thermal Pool
All over Iceland, the swimming pool is the place for people to meet at any time of the day
and discuss matters of national and international interest. When it opened in 1991, the
Kópavogur Thermal Pool became the largest pool in the country with five hot baths and an
unprecedented 25 by 50 metre area for swimming lanes. For the kids, there is a 16 metre long
children’s pool with a waterslide. During the summer, there are swimming classes for young
children taught at the pool. Plus, for those in search of relaxation, there’s no better place to
be than the steam baths.
Gerdarsafn Museum
Kópavogur has spent most of its young life building up an impressive collection of artworks
that are almost completely by Icelandic artists. When an additional 1400 pieces were donat-
ed to the town by the family of Gerdur Helgadóttir in 1977, the town started planning a
home for them. Gerdur Helgadóttir was an innovative and intriguing artist who worked with
mosaics and stained glass. An exemplary sample of her work graces the Kópavogur Church,
which overlooks the Gerdarsafn from a nearby hill. The collection grew once more in 1983
when an further 300 pieces were donated by graphic artist Barbara Árnason and her husband
Magnús A. Árnason, a painter and sculptor.
The Gerdarsafn was officially opened in April 1994 and has since been an excellent place to
see up-and-coming artists alongside some of Iceland’s most treasured pieces. The museum is
on two floors with two exhibition rooms upstairs and a multipurpose exhibition space on the
lower floor. The building was designed by Benjamin Magnússon and is generally recognized
to be among the most beautiful new examples of architecture in recent years.
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