Architectural, Cultural sights in Reykjavík
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A-Hús
Building houses from scraps didn't mean that artistic impulses were squashed - check out A-Hús, from 1906, one of the city's finest examples of wood-and-tin architecture. Its tall turrets are topped by swirling arabesques, and the wooden struts supporting the balconies are carved with whales.
The old town's mid-18th-century houses demonstrate the Icelandic talent for adaptation. In a country devoid of building materials, most are made from driftwood (which floated from Siberia and South America) and covered in sheets of corrugated tin to protect them from the elements.
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Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík
The old town's mid-18th-century houses demonstrate the Icelandic talent for adaptation. In a country devoid of building materials, most are made from driftwood (which floated from Siberia and South America) and covered in sheets of corrugated tin to protect them from the elements. Even churches, such as the Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík, were made the same way. By happy chance, this light construction method also makes the buildings pretty earthquake-proof.
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Árbæjarsafn
Quaint old buildings have been uprooted from their original sites and rebuilt at the open-air Árbæjarsafn, a kind of zoo for houses, 4km from the city centre. Alongside the 19th-century homes are a turf-roofed church, and various stables, smithies, barns and boathouses – all very picturesque. There are summer arts-and-crafts demonstrations, and it’s a great place for kids to let off steam. Take bus 12.
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Fálkahús
Fálkahús has a particularly interesting history – it’s where Icelandic falcons were kept before being shipped off to Europe’s noblemen.
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