Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Sigurhæðir
Eyrarlandsvegur 3 • June-Aug Mon-Fri 1-5pm • 800kr
A pathway from the Akureyrarkirkja leads round to
Sigurhæðir
(House of Triumph),
the former home of
Matthiás Jochumsson
(1835-1920), the distinguished poet and
author of the stirring Icelandic national anthem. Built in 1902, the house was
Jochumsson's home until his death in 1920, and now holds a museum containing a
small and unexceptional collection of his furnishings and a few portraits - though
unless you have a burning desire to immerse yourself in obscure Icelandic poetry, it's
not of great interest.
Lystigarður
Eyrarlandsvegur • June-Sept Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat & Sun 9am-10pm • Free
At the end of Eyrarlandsvegur, the glorious
Lystigarður
(Botanical Garden) was
established in 1912 by Margrethe Schiöth, a Danish woman who lived in Akureyri,
and offers a rich display of plant life enclosed by that Icelandic rarity, fully grown trees.
Besides virtually every Icelandic species, there's an astonishing number of
subtropical
plants
from South America and Africa - seemingly defying nature by existing at all in
these high latitudes, the annual mean temperature for Akureyri being barely 3.4°C. In
summer, when the fragrance of hundreds of flowers hangs in the air, the gardens, with
undisturbed views out over the fjord, are a real haven of peace and tranquillity. The
dozens of kids you'll see around the gardens, and indeed the rest of Akureyri, are there
on behalf of the town council, keeping the place tidy and earning a little pocket money
in the process.
Friðbjarnarhús
Aðalstræti 46 • June-Aug daily 1-5pm; Sept-May Sat 2-4pm • 600kr
Below the gardens is the oldest part of Akureyri, where many of its wooden buildings,
including several along Aðalstræti, to the southeast, have been preserved and turned
into museums. The first of these, the
Friðbjarnarhús
(Good Templars Museum ), is the
least interesting. The Icelandic Good Templars Order was founded here in 1884, and
the occasion is recorded inside with singularly uninteresting documents and photos on
the upper floor, whilst elsewhere you'll find a rather dreary collection of old toys, prams
and dolls. The Friðbjarnarhús is named after a local book merchant, Friðbjörn
Steinsson, who once lived here.
Nonnahús
Aðalstræti 54 • June-Aug daily 10am-5pm • 700kr •
W
nonni.is
Past Friðbjarnarhús, the black wooden house with white window frames is
Nonnahús
(Nonni's House) the childhood home of Jón Sveinsson, the Jesuit priest and author of
the
Nonni children's books
- Nonni is the diminutive form of Jón in Icelandic. Based
on his experiences of growing up in northern Iceland, the stories are little known to
English-speaking audiences but are inordinately popular in Germanic countries - most
were written in German - and are translated into around forty other languages. Nonni
lived here until he was 12, when, following his father's death, he moved first to
Denmark, where he converted to Catholicism, then to France and then, in 1914, to
Austria, where he wrote his first book, before settling in Germany. Inside the house,
illustrations
from his stories decorate the walls and numerous translations of his dozen
books are displayed. Dating from 1850, the house itself is one of the oldest in the town
and still has its original furniture, giving a good indication of the living conditions at
the time of construction; note the low ceilings and narrow doorways, which were
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
SIGNPOST, AKUREYRI
P.226
; EYJAFJÖRÐUR
P.235
; VIEW FROM THE GRÍMSEY FERRY
P.242
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