호프디 하우스(Höfði)(1). 레이카비크(Reykjavik). 아이슬란드(Iceland)

호프디 하우스(Höfði)(1).

레이카비크(Reykjavik). 아이슬란드(Iceland)

Höfði House (호프디 하우스)

호프디(Höfði)는 아이슬란드의 수도 레이캬비크에 있는 건물이다.

1986년에 미국과 소련이 개최한 레이캬비크 정상회담이 이 건물에서 열렸다.

1909년에 아이슬란드 주재 프랑스 영사관으로서 세워졌다.

1986년에 냉전의 종식을 위해 당시 미국의 대통령이었던 로날드 레이건과 소련의 공산당 서기장이었던 미하일 고르바초프에 의해 개최된 레이캬비크 정상회담이 이 곳에서 열렸기 때문에 현대사의 기념비적인 건물이 되었다.

현재 이 건물은 레이캬비크 시의 소유이기 때문에 레이캬비크 시에서 관리하고 있다.

건물 옆에는 아이슬란드어와 영어, 러시아어로 쓰여진 기념비가 세워져있다.

Höfði House has a remarkable history connected to lcelandic relations with other nations. The house was built for the French consul, Jean Paul Brillouin. Designed in Eastern Norway, it was trasported to Iceland in kit form assembly. The building displays features of the Art Nouveau (Jugend) style, classical Neo-Baroque and Norwegian National Romanticism. In the formal reception room, Brillouin's name is inscribed in gold above the doorway, together with the date of construction 1909.

Höfði House had an ambiance of dignity in its early decades. After Brillouin's time it was the family home of poet/entrepreneur Einar Benediktsson. His statue by sculptor Asmundur Sveinsson can be seen here close to the house.

The family that longest lived in the house was however that of Dr. Matthias Einarsson. His daughter, Louisa Matthiasdottir, went on to be a famous artist.

From 1938 until post World War II, Höfði House was the residence of the British Counsul and later Ambassador. Among those who visited during the war were British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and actress Marlene Dietrich. From the middle of the 20th century many different people lived in Höfði House for varying periods. It was also used as business premises.

The City of Reykjavik purchased the house in 1958 and in the following years it was restored. Since 1967 it has been a reception house for the City government.

In October 1986 Höfði House was the setting of the famous summit meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev, which was regarded as marking the beginning of the end of the Cold. War. When the Baltic nations reclaimed their independence, Iceland was the first nation to recognise this, and a declaration to that effect was signed in Höfði House in August 1991. Most foreign heads of state who visit Iceland make their way here - to Höfði House

Höfði House around 1940.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan at the Reykjavik summit in 1986

Einar Benediktsson

The poet & entrepreneur Einar Benediktsson (1864-1940), lived in Höfði House from 1914 to 1917. Einar was a visionary and travelled the world. He travelled widely and advocated social reform with original ideas that have kept his name alive, even though not all of his ambitions were realized. His main legacy lies in his poetry. however: Einar is one of Iceland's most beloved poets. His poetry is powerful and passionate like the man himself. The style is neo-romantic, with strong imagery, focusing on the individual and his inner life, as well as the magnificent Icelandic nature,

Mighty heartbeat of the ocean's cold depths,

my strength and peace I drink from your sound

From "Surf"

The sculpture by Asumundur Sveinsson (1893-1982) shows the poet in front of a harp, symbolizing his poetry. The sculptor wanted to show Einar in his grandeur, as a man incapable of small thinking. The memorial was originally displayed at Klambratun Park in 1964. It was moved to Höfði in 2015, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the companies Eimskip, Hvalur hf., Landsvirkjun, Mjolkursamsalan Siminn, as well as a group of admirers.

Einar Benediktsson is buried at the Þingvellir National Park.

Louisa Matthíasdóttir 1992. Ljosmynd / Photograh : Einar Falur Ingolfsson

Louisa Matthíasdóttir (1917-2000) is one of Iceland's leading visual artists. When she was eight years old, her family moved to Höfði, where she grew up. The family owned the home from 1924 to 1937. Louisa started painting & drawing at an early age and soon became one of the most progressive artists of her generation. She was part of a set that frequented Unuhus in Gardarstraeti, a private home in Reykyavik's Vesturbaer neighbourhood, which was a kind of salon for artists and writers at the time.

Louisa studied art in Denmark and later in Paris, but returned home to Iceland in 1939. She then went to New York in 1942 for further studies and ended up settling there with her American husband, the artist Leland Bell. Simplicity and solid forms characterize Louisa's work. Although she drew upon her immediate surroundings for her subjects and painted her home and the people in her life, Iceland always inspired her. Creating free reconstructions of the landscapes of her youth, Louisa painted the country in a way that allowed Iceland's pristine nature to shine through. She said herself that her childhood years in Höfði, with its mountain view, influenced her greately:

"I looked at Mount Esja every day for ten years so it must be

in my blood. I am still painting these motifs. the mountains of

Esja, Skardsheidi, Akrafjall - all of it."

Höfði - reception house of the Reykjavik city council

In this historic house on 11-12 October 1986, The Reykjavik summit meeting of the superpowers took place between Ronald Reagan, President of the United states of America & Mikhail Segeyevich Gorbachev, Secretary General of the Central Committee of the communist party of the Soviet Union.

This summit meeting is regarded as Heralding the beginning of the end of the cold war.

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