Harpa Concert Hall

Harpa is the striking concert hall and conference centre on the Reykjavik waterfront, its facade a honeycomb of coloured glass cells inspired by Iceland's basalt columns, that shimmer and change with the light and the sky. Completed after the financial crash, it became a symbol of the city's recovery and is free to wander even without a ticket.

History

Harpa was designed by Henning Larsen Architects with the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson as part of a redevelopment of the Austurhöfn harbour area. Construction began in 2007 but stopped in the financial crisis, until the government decided in 2008 to pay for finishing the half-built hall; for several years it was the only construction project in Iceland, and it opened on 4 May 2011 with a concert by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy with the pianist Víkingur Ólafsson (Wikipedia, Harpa (concert hall)).

What you'll find

• The glass facade - the honeycomb of coloured glass shimmering with the light.
• The foyer - the free-to-enter interior with the glass glowing overhead.
• The harbour setting - the hall on the waterfront with mountain views.
• Concerts - the classical, jazz and popular performances.

When to go

Year-round; the glass is beautiful in changing light, glowing at dusk and lit in colour at night. It is free to enter and wander by day.

Things to know

Without a concert ticket, it is the striking building and foyer you experience rather than a performance. It is a short visit unless you attend an event. Its beauty is the architecture and the play of light.

Nearby

The old harbour, the Sun Voyager sculpture and the city centre are along the waterfront.

Key facts