Nordic House library closing temporarily for renovation

Dear guests, due to renovations, the Nordic House Library and the Children’s Library will be temporarily closing from February 19th. The library is scheduled to open again as soon as June 2024.

The renovations are part of the general renovation of the Nordic House, which has been going on since 2022. As the building is listed by the Icelandic Heritage Foundation, the renovations will not change the appearance of the building, but rather concentrate on the infrastructure of the building. All the work is done in close collaboration with the Alvar Aalto Foundation in Finland.

Packing an entire library collection is a lot of work, so we encourage our patrons to help us by borrowing books, more than usual! The due date of all loans will be 18th June. All library cards have also been extended, free of charge.

The Nordic House and restaurant SÓNÓ will be open as usual, every day of the week except Mondays. Our program for children and families will continue but we will temporarily move those events to Elissa (auditorium). All events are listed on our website and on social media. A new exhibition „Wasteland“ opens in Hvelfing February 10th and there will be no disruption to the exhibition space or the opening hours.

We want to thank all our guests and partners for their patience and understanding during the renovation period and we look forward to welcoming our guests to the library again in June. You can follow news about the renovation on our website here. You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter here to receive news about events, exhibitions and the status of renovation.

The Nordic House is a unique landmark in Reykjavík and one of Iceland’s most important pieces of architecture. The building was designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and inaugurated in 1968. From the beginning, it has been the center of Nordic cooperation and the core of cultural life in Reykjavík.