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Bessastaðir

Bessastaðir is the official residence of the president of Iceland and is located in Álftanes, north of Hafnafjörður. It has been the presidential residence since 1941, but the history of Bessastaðir has been closely associated with the history of Iceland since the times of the settlement in the 9th century AD and was mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas when the great writer Snorri Sturluson had his farm there in the 13th century. The main building was built in 1761 and the church was consecrated in 1796. Visitors are welcome to go inside the church which has a triptych altarpiece painted by the Icelandic artist Muggur in 1921. It is assumed that Bessastaðir has been a site of a church since around the year 1000. The church of Bessastaðir is among the oldest buildings made of cemented stone in Iceland. It was decorated with its stained windows in 1956 to commemorate the 60th birthday of Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, the second president of the country.