Víkurgarður

About Víkurgarður

Víkurgarður, also called Fógetagarður, is one of Reykjavík's oldest public parks and home to the city's oldest planted tree.

It is located at the corner of Aðalstræti and Kirkjustræti behind Landsímahúsið. Today, the garden is mostly paved, more square than garden, but original trees remain, including Reykjavík's oldest planted tree, a Swedish whitebeam planted in summer 1884, nearly 130 years old.

Basic information

Age: Víkurgarður was historically a cemetery, with cultivation beginning in 1883. Reykjavík City acquired the garden in 1966.

Transportation:

• Parking is on Aðalstræti, Kirkjustræti, Tjarnargata, and Túngata. Parking fees apply on is weekdays from 10am to 6pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
• Public bus routes: 1-3-6-11-12-13-14. Stops: Lækjartorg - Reykjavík Junior College - City Hall.

You can find: Café - Artwork - Benches - Gardening - Historical site - Interesting trees.

History

• Víkurgarður stands where the old Reykjavík Church stood from 1200. The last church there was demolished in 1789, but the cemetery remained in use until 1839.
• Director of Health Georg Schierbeck used the garden for horticulture in 1883, experimenting with vegetables, flowers, grains, trees, and shrubs. A memorial to Schierbeck was unveiled in Víkurgarður in 1986.
• Along with the Swedish whitebeam, the country's oldest bay willow was planted in the garden in 1884. It's said that nearly all bay willows in Iceland descend from it, but it fell in a storm in 1987.
• Landsíminn acquired the garden in 1940, but Reykjavík took over its supervision in 1966.
• The garden was redesigned in 1972-1973.

References

• Árni Óla. 1984-1986. Reykjavík of the past: historical chapters. Second volume.
• Bragi Bergsson. 2012. Public parks in Iceland. Master's thesis. University of Iceland, School of Humanities.
• Einar I. Siggeirsson. 1987. "Memorial to Georg Schierbeck". Garðyrkjuritið.
• Photograph: Bragi Bergsson.