The Skeleton On The Hill: A Look At Hallgrímskirkja In Its Infancy

Hallgrímskirkja is arguably Reykjavík’s most emblematic landmark. The Lutheran church was commissioned in 1937 and was built over the course of forty years, between 1945 and 1986. During this long construction period, the church, with its 75-metre tower, resembled a skeleton, as you can see in these photos.

Originally, the architect, Guðjón Samúelsson, envisioned a cluster of buildings around the church, forming what he called “The Citadel of Icelandic Culture.” In the end, though, the church was the only building from the project to rise on the Skólavörðuholt hill.

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Lemúrinn is an Icelandic web magazine (Icelandic for the native primate of Madagascar). A winner of the 2012 Web Awards, Lemúrinn.is covers all things strange and interesting.