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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
Skálholt
Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; non, Skálaholt ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá.
History
Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established in Sk ...
bishop's seat is moved to Reykjavik."
* 1786
** Town charter granted by Danish government.
**
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik Junior College) is a junior college in Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík.
The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains o ...
(school) active.
* 1796 – Lutheran
Reykjavík Cathedral
Reykjavík Cathedral ( Icelandic: ''Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík'') is a cathedral church in Reykjavík, Iceland, the seat of the Bishop of Iceland and mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, as well as the parish church of the ...
built.
* 1798 – Alþingi (Icelandic assembly, Althingi or
Althing
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (" thing fields" or "assemb ...
) relocated to Reykjavik from
Þingvellir
Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland ...
.
* 1800
** 6 June: Althingi abolished.
** 11 July: "A new high court in Reykjavik takes over the responsibilities of Althingi."
* 1801 – Lutheran
Bishop of Iceland
The following is a list of Lutheran bishops of Iceland.
List
See also
* List of Skálholt bishops
*List of Hólar bishops
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
...
headquartered in Reykjavik.
* 1816 –
Icelandic Literary Society The Icelandic Literary Society (Hið Íslenzka Bókmenntafélag), founded in 1816, is a society dedicated to promoting and strengthening Icelandic language, literature and learning.
The society was founded in 1816, when the Icelandic independence ...
Latin School
The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...
relocated to Reykjavik from
Bessastaðir
Bessastaðir () is the official residence of the president of Iceland. It is situated in Álftanes, about from the capital city, Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, ...
Austurvöllur
Austurvöllur () is a public square in Reykjavík, Iceland. The square is a popular gathering place for the citizens of Reykjavík, and especially during good weather due to the prevalence of cafés on Vallarstræti and Pósthússtræti. It has ...
.
* 1876 – Medical school opens.
* 1879 – founded.
* 1881 –
Alþingishúsið
Alþingishúsið (, ''The Parliament House'') is a classical 19th century structure which stands by Austurvöllur in central Reykjavík, Iceland. It houses ''Alþingi'', the Icelandic parliament. The building was designed by Danish architect Fer ...
Landsbanki
Landsbanki (literally "national bank"), also commonly known as Landsbankinn (literally "the national bank") which is now the name of the current rebuilt bank (here called "New Landsbanki"), was one of the largest Icelandic commercial banks that f ...
(bank) established.
* 1890 – Population: 6,700 in town; 70,927 on
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
* 1903
** Office of Danish minister for Iceland relocated to Reykjavík from
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
takes effect in Reykjavik.
* 1909 –
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...
building opens.
* 1911
**
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...
Keflavík
Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129.
In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njarð ...
Eimskipafélag Íslands
Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. is an international shipping company with 55 offices in 20 countries and four continents; Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Eimskip specializes in worldwide freight forwarding services with focus on frozen ...
(steamship company) founded.
* 1915
** January:
Prohibition in Iceland Prohibition in Iceland went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until 1 March 1989 (since celebrated as "Beer Day"). The ban had originally prohibited all alcohol, but from 1922 legalized wine and in 1935 legalized all alcoholic beverag ...
begins.
** 25 April: .
* 1916
**
Icelandic Federation of Labour
The Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ) (Icelandic: Alþýðusamband Íslands) is a trade union centre in Iceland. It was formed in 1916 and has a membership of 104,500, approximately half of the Icelandic workforce.
The ASÍ is affiliated ...
headquartered in Reykjavik.
**
Social Democratic Party (Iceland)
The Social Democratic Party ( is, Alþýðuflokkurinn), officially the People's Party, was a social-democratic political party in Iceland.
It was founded in 1916, as the political representation of the trade unions of Iceland.
History
In 19 ...
founded in Reykjavik.
* 1918 – January:
Danish–Icelandic Act of Union
The Danish–Icelandic Act of Union, an agreement signed by Iceland and Denmark on 1 December 1918, recognized Iceland as a fully independent and sovereign state – the Kingdom of Iceland – freely associated to Denmark in a personal union w ...
signed in
Alþingishúsið
Alþingishúsið (, ''The Parliament House'') is a classical 19th century structure which stands by Austurvöllur in central Reykjavík, Iceland. It houses ''Alþingi'', the Icelandic parliament. The building was designed by Danish architect Fer ...
.
* 1919 – Population: 16,154.
* 1925 – Reykjavík City Orchestra formed (approximate date).
* 1927 – (cinema) active.
* 1929 – Landakotskirkja (church) built.
* 1930
** Ríkisútvarpið radio headquartered in Reykjavík.
** National Hospital opens.
**
Reykjavík College of Music The Reykjavík College of Music ( is, Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík) is an Icelandic conservatory of music that was founded in 1930 and is the oldest surviving college of music in the country.Gúttóslagurinn (labor dispute) occurs.
* 1940 – May:
British occupation
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
begins.
* 1943 – (exhibit hall) built on (street).
* 1944
** Reykjavík becomes capital of Republic of Iceland.
** built.
* 1946 – Civilian
Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport ( Icelandic: ''Reykjavíkurflugvöllur'') is the main domestic airport serving Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, located about from the city centre.
Having shorter runways than the city's larger international airport Kef ...
Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution under the aus ...
formed.
** Population: 55,980.
* 1957 –
Árbæjarsafn
Árbæjarsafn () is the historical museum of the city of Reykjavík as well as an open-air museum and a regional museum. Its purpose is to give the public an insight into the living conditions, work and recreational activities of the people of Reyk ...
Landsvirkjun
Landsvirkjun, () the National Power Company of Iceland, is Iceland's largest electricity generator. Landsvirkjun operates 18 power plants in Iceland concentrated on five main areas of operation.
History
Landsvirkjun was founded on 1 July 1965 b ...
(national power company) established.
**
Laugardalshöll
Laugardalshöll (; also known as Laugardalshöllin and Laugardalsholl Sport Center) is a multi-purpose sports and exhibition venue located in the Laugardalur district of Iceland's capital Reykjavík. The complex consists of two main venues, a spo ...
(arena) opens.
* 1968 –
Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavík is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church which covers the whole of the country of Iceland, and numbered 11,454 Catholics on January 1, 2014. It reports directly to the Holy See of Ro ...
established.
* 1972 –
World Chess Championship 1972
The World Chess Championship 1972 was a match for the World Chess Championship between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. The match took place in the Laugardalshöll arena ...
held in city.
* 1974 – Population: 84,589.
* 1975 – 24 October: Women's rights demonstration.
* 1981 – House of Commerce built.
* 1986
** August: City bicentennial.
** October: USSR–USA summit held in city.
** 9 November: Ships sunk in by environmentalist
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action tactics to achieve its g ...
Sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
relationship established with
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
Iceland Airwaves
Iceland Airwaves is a music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), n ...
music festival begins.
* 2000 – Landspítali (hospital) established.
21st century
* 2002 –
Reykjavík Mosque
The Reykjavík Mosque ( is, Moskan í Reykjavík) is a mosque and gathering area for Muslims in Iceland. It is located in the Ármúli district. The mosque was opened in 2002 by the Muslim Association of Iceland after requesting the city governm ...
opens.
* 2005 – Population: 114,800 in city; 187,105
metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir (born 12 October 1966) is a former Icelandic minister, mayor and parliamentarian. She is currently the chair of the Executive Board of Women Political Leaders, Global Forum.womenpoliticalleaders.org
Before that, ...
becomes mayor.
* 2009
**
2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests
The 2009–2011 Icelandic financial crisis protests, also referred to as the Kitchenware, Kitchen Implement or Pots and Pans Revolution ( Icelandic: ''Búsáhaldabyltingin''), occurred in the wake of the Icelandic financial crisis. There had be ...
Jón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr (; born 2 January 1967)This is an Icelandic name. ''Kristinsson'' is the patronymic, but he is properly referred to as ''Jón Gnarr'' as he had it legally removed. is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Ma ...
Harpa (concert hall)
Harpa () is a concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavík, Iceland. The opening concert was held on May 4, 2011. The building features a distinctive colored glass facade inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland.
History
Harpa was des ...
opens.
* 2012 – Population: 117,764 in city; 203,678
metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...