Government House
Government House
Government House (Laekjargötu, Reykjavik) – this building was originally built as a prison in 1765-1770. The Governor of Iceland at the time, Skuli Magnusson, used the local prison population to provide labor for the country’s then-nascent wool industry. By the mid 19th century, the Danish Governor, Count Moltke, had this building converted into his residence. This was also the site where Denmark officially granted Iceland independence during the early 20th century. Nowadays, this building is used at the Prime Minister’s office. The statues in front of the house are the work of the sculptor Einar Jonsson from the years 1915 & 1931. One shows King Christian IX handing over the constitution in 1874, and the other Hannes Hafstein, who became the country’s first minister.