Harpa

64.1504° N, 21.9325° W

Harpa is one of Reykjavik’s most striking landmarks and a center of cultural and social life, located by the old harbor in Reykjavik. It was built in 2011 and has won countless awards for its beautiful structural design and as a concert and conference center. It took a little over 5 years to build Harpa, just because it came to a halt for a year when the financial crisis hit in 2007/8.

To name a few highly respected awards Harpa has won:

• Mies van der Rohe award 2013 – The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Award
• Harpa was chosen as one of the best concert houses of the new millennium by Gramophone Magazine 2010
• Rewarded as the Best Conference Center in Europe by Business Destination magazine in 2016.
• In 2018, Eldborg was an unbeatable choice by the jury for the USITT Architecture Award for acoustics, living up to its role as a world-class concert hall, with state-of-the-art acoustic technology.

Harpa is the perfect tourist destination for those who love architecture and music. The architects of Harpa are Ólafur Elíasson an Icelandic and Danish designer known for employing elements such as light, water and air into his designs to enhance the viewers experience and Henning Larsen, a Danish designer, also known as ,,The Master of light”. The design was influenced by Iceland‘s exceptional and dramatic nature. Situated on the boundary between land and sea, the building is a gleaming sculpture reflecting both sky and harbor, as well as the vibrant life of the city.

Harpa is also home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Opera and Reykjavik Big Band, which hold regular concerts throughout the year. Múlinn Jazz club also resides in Harpa as well as the Classical Sundays Series, both offering concerts on a regular basis. Numerous music festivals have been held in Harpa since the house opened in 2011 and world-famous bands, soloists, dance groups and theater companies have performed here.

It has four halls, the largest one, Eldborg, accommodates 1,800 guests. However, there are smaller meeting rooms where conferences and meetings are held.

Nearby attractions:

• Grótta Lighthouse
• Hallgrímskirkja Church