Hallgrímskirkja, Lutheran church in Reykjavík, Iceland
Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran church in Reykjavík whose slender tower rises 74 meters (243 feet) above the capital. The symmetrical concrete wings echo the shape of basalt columns found along the Icelandic coast.
The architect Guðjón Samúelsson designed this church in the 1930s, but construction only began in 1945 and stretched across four decades. Its completion in 1986 made it one of the longest building projects in Iceland.
This place is named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, a 17th-century poet whose hymns remain part of Icelandic devotion. The name connects the building to a long literary and religious thread in the country.
An elevator takes visitors to the observation platform, which offers wide views over Reykjavík and the sea beyond. The church opens most days and draws many people around midday.
Inside stand two large pipe organs, with the bigger one holding over 5000 pipes and reaching 15 meters (49 feet) in height. Concerts on these instruments draw both locals and travelers.
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