Developers and archaeologists will have to figure out what to do with archaeological finds which have emerged recent excavations in Downtown Reykjavík. The old harbour quay, which has been unearthed near the Reykjavik Concert and Conference Centre Harpan, poses a especially difficult problem.
Fifty meters of the old harbour
A fifty meter stretch of the stone quay of the old harbour, constructed in 1913-1917, has emerged in an archaeological dig in a downtown parking lot. In addition to the old quay the archaeological dig, began on May 13, has uncovered the remains of several warehouses and one of the early wooden piers. The quay is visible from the sidewalk, or from the nearby Arnarhóll hill, where visitors can get a good overview of the dig.
Pétur Ármansson, at Minjastofnun, which oversees the excavation, tells The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV that he would like the quay preserved: I want to see this structure or at least a part of it, preserved and visible to the public.
Developers never seem to expect archaeological finds
Preserving the quay might pose some problems, as it is located where a luxury hotel is planned, complete with a large subterranean garage. This upsets all kinds of legally binding arrangements and agreements. Clearly people could have benefitted from research before all agreements wer completed.
Pétur tells RÚV that when plans were drawn up for the hotel and other development it was well known that the site contained the remains of the old harbour, but nobody knew the conditions of these remains. It turned out the quay had been preserved almost completely intact.
Read more: See the old harbour emerge in an archaeological dig in a downtown parking lot
This, he argues is becoming a reoccurring problem in Iceland, where developers rarely take the possibility of encountering archaeological remains into their plans. These kinds of finds always seem to come as a complete surprise to people.
Catch a glimpse of the old harbour before it vanishes again!
The archaeological dig is scheduled to be finished on August 1, when construction work on luxury apartments and shopping will begin. In the meantime tourists and pedestrians can catch a glimpse of what the old harbour looked like a century ago.
Developers and archaeologists will have to figure out what to do with archaeological finds which have emerged recent excavations in Downtown Reykjavík. The old harbour quay, which has been unearthed near the Reykjavik Concert and Conference Centre Harpan, poses a especially difficult problem.
Fifty meters of the old harbour
A fifty meter stretch of the stone quay of the old harbour, constructed in 1913-1917, has emerged in an archaeological dig in a downtown parking lot. In addition to the old quay the archaeological dig, began on May 13, has uncovered the remains of several warehouses and one of the early wooden piers. The quay is visible from the sidewalk, or from the nearby Arnarhóll hill, where visitors can get a good overview of the dig.
Pétur Ármansson, at Minjastofnun, which oversees the excavation, tells The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV that he would like the quay preserved: I want to see this structure or at least a part of it, preserved and visible to the public.
Developers never seem to expect archaeological finds
Preserving the quay might pose some problems, as it is located where a luxury hotel is planned, complete with a large subterranean garage. This upsets all kinds of legally binding arrangements and agreements. Clearly people could have benefitted from research before all agreements wer completed.
Pétur tells RÚV that when plans were drawn up for the hotel and other development it was well known that the site contained the remains of the old harbour, but nobody knew the conditions of these remains. It turned out the quay had been preserved almost completely intact.
Read more: See the old harbour emerge in an archaeological dig in a downtown parking lot
This, he argues is becoming a reoccurring problem in Iceland, where developers rarely take the possibility of encountering archaeological remains into their plans. These kinds of finds always seem to come as a complete surprise to people.
Catch a glimpse of the old harbour before it vanishes again!
The archaeological dig is scheduled to be finished on August 1, when construction work on luxury apartments and shopping will begin. In the meantime tourists and pedestrians can catch a glimpse of what the old harbour looked like a century ago.
