Top Rated Attracties in Reykjavik

Iceland's National Archives store a lot of information about the nation's history and culture. They also cover subjects like geography, topography, politics and other vital data. A lot of archivists and historians benefit from this organization. Students often come here to update study material and theses. Online services are provided, and so are some catalogues for intense research.

The Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum itself is a part of the collection, as it is a unique building, a mixture of Egyptian pyramids and Arabic domes, mostly designed and built by the artist himself. He also sought inspiration from the Mediterranean countries; the exterior as well as the interior walls are white and smooth, creating a quiet and elegant frame for his provocative and powerful sculptures. Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982) was one of the pioneers of Icelandic sculpture and, like so many of his generation, he was mainly inspired by Icelandic nature and literature, as well as creating grand masterpieces in praise of the common people. While his first sculptures are fairly realistic, he moved on to abstract work in the last decades of his life, and the museum reflects the changes in his artistic vision.

Built in the year 1958, Laugardalsvöllur is a national stadium that primarily serves football events. Home to the Knattspyrnufélagið Fram, the stadium can seat 15,000 people in all. It is also used for various other sporting events and is home to the Iceland Women's Football team.

Reykjavík's largest commercial gallery, Gallery Fold, offers the country's largest selection of contemporary Icelandic art. The gallery displays and sells art by many of the best-known Icelandic artists - graphic, pastel, paintings, sculpture and tapestry. Art Gallery Fold has two branches, this one on Laugarvegur, close to the city bus terminal station (but the entrance is on Rauðarárstígur), and another branch in Shopping Centre Kringlan, where the emphasis is on a selection of ceramics, glass and smaller pictures.

While not as novel in its selection of biological specimens as the Phallological Museum, the Museum of Natural History is well worth a visit. The collection hosts the usual suspects, geological, botanical and zoological exhibits displaying the nature of Iceland. In rather crowded rooms a visitor can wander among specimens of most Icelandic animals from insects to polar bears. The bird collection is especially grand, counting among its flock a white raven, an almost mythological fowl. In addition the museum makes journals, papers and geological maps available for those interested. The museum is inconspicuously located by the central bus terminal, Hlemmur. The entrance is from Hverfisgata, and then follows a considerable trek up four flights of stairs.

Sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) has recently become fashionable again. This after a period of a certain embarrassment surrounding his work, which is highly symbolic and heroic in style and content, perusing themes from the Norse and Greek Mythology, Icelandic Sagas and folktales and Icelandic nature. This museum is almost like a sculpture itself, designed by the artist himself, in collaboration with architect Einar Erlendsson. It is unique and unlike any in Iceland and was built for the artist as his home, studio and gallery, when he had donated his works to the nation. The house has recently been restored, and in addition to the art collection the artist's tiny flat on the top floor is now open to public.