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Modern Reykjavík

In the immediate post-war years, Reykjavík was rather like an overgrown village. People in the prime of life poured into the town, and it became a city of children. Iceland was still relatively isolated from the outside world, and few foreigners visited the country. But Icelanders were beginning to compete internationally in sports, and in the postwar years they did well in athletics.

After World War II, modernism finally arrived in Iceland. The National Theatre opened its doors in 1950, and that same year the Iceland Symphony Orchestra was founded. Artists exhibited their works mainly in Listamannaskálinn, an exhibition hall adjacent to Parliament House.

The 1960s were a boom time for Reykjavík, which grew as never before. Private cars became commonplace, and various electrical appliances made housework easier. Charter flights to southern Europe became popular, and with rising prosperity a separate youth culture came into being in Reykjavík.

At this time the Loftleiðir airline started offering cheap transatlantic travel including a stopover in Iceland. Iceland was less cut-off from the outside world, and growing numbers of foreigners, including well-known artists, made their way to Iceland. Large modern hotels were built.

Arts festivals, held every other year since 1970, played an important role in Reykjavík's flourishing cultural life. It was no longer news when world-famous people visited Reykjavík. Icelanders too were travelling abroad, for fun and for education, and this helped overcome Iceland's historic isolation. International cuisine made its mark on the town's restaurants. In the 1990s finance and foreign exchange was deregulated, and the computer revolution opened up new possibilities. Reykjavík lost some of its unique, rather villagey atmosphere. Beer was legalised after decades (the last remnant of Prohibition from the early 20th century). The downtown district was gradually taken over by pubs and other nightlife, while Laugavegur and the Kringlan mall were the major shopping districts. Dogs, banned for decades, were once more allowed in the city.

Reykjavík's international status was highlighted by a superpower summit in 1986 at Höfði House, the reception house of the City of Reykjavík - a meeting that heralded the beginning of the end of the Cold War.