Rjúpa Guesthouse

A statue of Helgi magri (Helgi the lean)
and Þórunn hyrna (Þórunn the horned), the first settlers of the
area, about the year 890, stands on the Hamarkot Rocks on the street
Brekkugata near the police station.

The story tells that the parents of
Helgi handed him over for fostering into the Hebrides, and when they came there
two winters afterwards, he was so starved that they did not know him; they
brought him away with them and called him Helgi the lean. He was brought up in
Ireland, and when he was grown up, he married Þórunn hyrna (Þórunn the horned).
They moved to Iceland with their children and settled the whole of Eyjafjörður.
Helgi magri handed out parts of the settlement, which was very big, to his
children and kin but selected and built his own farm at a site which he
named Kristnes (Christ Cape) some 12 km south of Akureyri, a place where he
dwelt during the remainder of his life. Helgi believed in Christ and therefore
gave this name to his dwelling.

Þórunn hyrna, was the
daughter of Ketill flatnefur. Ketill Björnsson, nicknamed Flatnose (Flatnefur), who
was a chieftain of the Isles of the 9th century. All his children
settled big parts of Iceland, Þórunn hyrna in Eyjafjörður, Auður djúpúðga, at Hvammur in West-Iceland.
Her brother, Helgi bjóla, settled Kjalarnes and her other brother, Björn
austræni, settled Snæfellsnes and lived in Bjarnarhöfn.


The statue, which was made by Jónas S. Jakobsson in 1956, is located on top of
Hamarkotsklappir behind the Police station (Lögreglustöðin). About 5-10
min. walk from town center.

Two prominent streets in Akureyri are
named after these settlers - Helgamagrastræti street and Þórunnarstræti street
and the kindergarten Hólmasól is named after Helgi and Þórunn first child
(daughter) Next to the statue, one can find an old view-dial. On the view-dial is
written 1949 - Ferðafélag Akureyrar, but these view-dials show the names of the
surrounding mountains.

The old town of Akureyri brings you back to the beginning of the town. The area is located just a short stroll from town centre, towards the south.

The area is a monument to the town's history and culture. Many of the town oldest houses have been preserved and the original street planning has been maintained. Informative signposts guide visitors about the history of a different era. On this walk, you see the old Theatre, the old Primary School and the Old Hospital built in 1827, the first
two-storied house built in Iceland and the oldest building in Akureyri, Laxdalshús, built in 1795.

The name of Akureyri dates back to the 15th century, but it was not until 1778 that the first dwelling was built on the site. The oldest building that still remains was built in 1795, called Laxdalshús.

The houses and style of architecture are what draws the attention in this area. Around what used to be the main harbour but now home to the local sailing club Nökkvi you find many of the original buildings that kicked off this small harbour town. As time passed and the population grew, the hills behind the town developed as there was only one way to go - up!

Many of the buildings feature coting of corrugated iron. Traditionally this was used as a roofing material and for building farming sheds but in Iceland, it was commonly used as an external covering on walls to protect the woodwork. Another
method of shielding houses that is quite special for Akureyri, as it is rarely found in other places in Iceland, is the use of pressed iron plates, like tiles. These were imported from the US in the 1930s, and many of the oldest houses still wear this type of coating with beautiful colours.

For more information about the old town and the houses see our historical signboards.

https://www.visitakureyri.is/en/see-and-do/culture/skilti-baejarins

The Goðafoss waterfall is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters.

In the year 1000, the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. Goðafoss Waterfall is part of the Diamond Circle explore the Diamond Circle

https://www.northiceland.is/diamondcircle.

The Akureyri church is the symbol of Akureyri. It is a Lutheran church and was designed by the famous architect Gudjon Samuelsson and consecrated in 1940. The central stained-glass window above the altar formed a
part of a set originating from England. The bas-reliefs on the nave balcony are by sculptor Asmundur Sveinsson and the baptismal font is a replica of a work by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The church is above the town center.

Attention!
Please note that the church is closed
when funerals or other services are taking place and it is advertised
especially on the church door. For more information check the website akureyrarkirkja.is or send an email at akirkja@akirkja.is.

In Akureyri, stopping at a red light is much more pleasant than elsewhere.

The red lights are heart-shaped!

The heart in the traffic lights have caught the attention of those visiting Akureyri and the hearts of the inhabitants.

The hearts lit up all over town as a consequence of the finance crash in Iceland in year 2008, when there was a need for some positive thinking and to put emphasis on what really matters.

Since then the red hearts in the traffic lights are visible as well as plenty of red hearts made of the flower "forget me not" decorating windows, cars and signs throughout the town.

A perfect place for a selfie with the red traffic light always glowing, is down by the harbor in the city center close to Hof Cultural house.

Use the hashtag #heartsofakureyri