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Inauguration of a new cultural landmarking 30 October at 15:00

29.10.2021 X

A new cultural landmarking has been erected by Garðhús, which is close to the old slipway area at Mýrargata (Lagargata 2). The sign will be inaugurated on Saturday, 30 October, at 15:00.

Miðhús á fyrri hluta síðustu aldar
Garðhús in the first half of the last century

Garðhús was built in 1884 by Bjarni Oddsson, a fisherman, and Þuríður Eyjólfsdóttir, his wife. They are typical of the so-called stone farms that were characteristic of Reykjavík at the turn of the last century but have lost their number in the 20th century.
Garðhús has a long and significant history as a great cultural home in their time. The couple's granddaughter, Þuríður Dýrfinna Þorbjarnardóttir, was born there on 30 October 1891. She graduated from the Women's School in 1912 and was a great linguist. In the summer of 1921, she met Charles Louis Henri Maxence Grimaldi, marquis de Cagnes, who belonged to one of Europe's oldest royal clans, the Grimaldi family, the ruling power in Monaco, who visited them in Iceland. Later that year, they fell in love, married in Reykjavík that same year, and moved south to mainland Europe. Þuríður Dýrfinna died a few years later. She is buried in Brussels under the coat of arms of the de Grimaldi family.
The programme will be at Garðhús and starts at 15:00
Short talks:

  • - Dagur B. Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavík
  • - Lilja D. Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Education
  • - Unveiling of cultural labels

After that, there will be a short programme inside the Reykjavík Maritime Museum by Grandagarður. Guðbrandur Benediktsson, director of the Reykjavík City Museum, will discuss stone towns in Reykjavík's rural development. After that, Sigrún Magnúsdóttir, ethnologist and former director of the Reykjavík Maritime Museum, will discuss the history of Garðhús, with particular emphasis on Þuríður Dýrfinna's exciting life.
Coffee will be served. The event is open to everyone and is free of charge.

Cultural marking in the city land is a collaborative project between the Reykjavík City Museum, the Reykjavík City of Literature and the Reykjavík Department of Environment and Planning.

Ljósmynd af Þuríði de Grimaldi
Þuríður de Grimaldi