Þúfa

About Þúfa

Þúfa is a grass-covered artwork by Ólöf Nordal at the far end of Reykjavík's working harbor on Grandi, a mound about 8 meters high with a wooden shed on top where fish is hung to dry. It rises right beside the fish factories, which is part of the point.

The fish company HB Grandi commissioned the piece in 2013, and Nordal wanted it to be a calm spot in the middle of a busy port. The name is an Icelandic word for a tussock, though it can also mean a hillock or small mountain. Steps cut into the turf spiral up to the summit, and the climb takes a couple of minutes.

Most visitors come for the view. From the top you look back over the harbor mouth to Harpa and the city, with Mount Esja across the bay, while trawlers unload below you. It is a good place to catch the low evening light in summer or to watch the sky on a clear winter night away from the downtown streets.

The Þúfa hill sits at the tip of Grandi, a short walk west of the Old Harbour along the harbor front. It is open-air public art, so there is no fee, no booking and no closing time. Give it 20 to 30 minutes, and wear shoes with grip, since the grass and steps get slippery in rain and ice.