Viðeyjarstofa - Viðey Island, Reykjavik, Iceland - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The sign reads:

"Treasurer Skúli Magnússon was allocated the island as his residence in 1751.

Skúli had Viðey House built as the official residence of the Treasurer. The first stone building in Iceland, Viðey House is constructed of basalt with some sandstone. Construction was completed in 1755. The building was designed by Nicolai Eigtved, architect of many historic buildings in Copenhagen, including Amalienborg Palace.

But Skúli did not only make his mark on Viðey. One of the pioneers of the Enlightenment in Iceland, he founded the country's first industrial enterprise, the Innréttingarh woollen workshops which led to the beginning of urban development in Reykjavik. Hence he is known as the Father of Reykjavik.

Skúli died on Viðey island in 1794, and is buried beneath the altar of the church he had built there 20 years before.

The next resident of Viðey after Skúli was Governor Ólafur Stephensen, who lived there from 1794 until his death in 1812. He was a progressive leader. For a period of nine years during his rsidence there, Viðey was the site of Iceland's highest administrative power. He held many splendid receptions on the island.

Ólafur was succeded on Viðey by his son, Magnús Stephensen, chief judge of the High Court. Like Skúli Magnússon, Magnús heralded a new age of enlightenment and progress. He had a printing press, the only one in Iceland at the time, which operated on Viðey island 1819-1844. Magnús lived on Viðey until his death in 1833; in 1817 he purchased the island from the Danish Crown for a huge sum, and it remained in his family for the rest of the century."

Group that erected the marker: Reykjavíkurborg (City of Reykjavik) URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Viðey Island Reykjavik, Iceland

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Date Logged Log   07/15/2018 seapanda visited it