Höfði
Reagan and Gorbachev met here in 1986 in talks that technically failed yet cracked open the path to the Cold War's end.
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This 1909 Norwegian prefab house — shipped to Iceland before city planning even approved it, originally built for a French consul — hosted the most consequential arms talks of the Cold War. The summit technically failed, yet it cracked open the path to the Cold War's end. The same site made Iceland's first international radio contact in 1905, years before the house existed.
What to look for
- The cross-hung flags of the United States and the Soviet Union inside, hung there specifically to commemorate the 1986 meeting
- Jugendstil detailing on the exterior — the whole structure was prefabricated in Norway and erected here before city permission was granted
- The statue of poet Einar Benediktsson near the house, moved here in 2015 — he once lived in the house and also instigated the 1905 radio transmissions from this very spot
Located at Félagstún; the city of Reykjavík uses it for formal receptions, so interior access is not guaranteed — the exterior, grounds, and Benediktsson statue are viewable without entry.
Höfði is one of 17 sights worth the detour in Reykjavik, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Reykjavik pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Reykjavik
- HallgrímskirkjaA 74-metre church modeled on Iceland's volcanic basalt columns — 41 years in the making, visible from nearly anywhere in the city.
- Icelandic Phallological MuseumOne exhibit needs a magnifying glass; another once measured 170 cm. Both are real.
- LaugardalsvöllurThe city that dreamed of a sporting venue in 1871 — when Reykjavík held just 2,000 people — finally opened a football stadium here in 1959.
- National Museum of IcelandA carved wooden door where a knight slays a dragon and gains a lion as his companion — and that is the headline object.
- Bessastaðir — Presidential ResidenceSnorri Sturluson farmed here in the 1200s. Turkish slave raiders attacked in 1627. Today the president of Iceland calls it home.
- Imagine Peace TowerA column of light rises 4,000 metres into the Arctic sky from a wishing well on a small island — Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon, running on geothermal power.