Overview
About Höfði House
A house with international connections
Höfði came into use in 1909 as a residence for the French consul Jean-Paul Brillouin. Designed in Norway and shipped to Iceland, it combines influences from Art Nouveau, neo-baroque architecture and Norwegian national romanticism. Its later occupants included the poet and entrepreneur Einar Benediktsson. It also served as a British diplomatic residence, making international connections a recurring theme in the building’s history.
Reykjavík and the wider world
The City of Reykjavík bought Höfði in 1958 and restored it; it has hosted city receptions since 1967. In October 1986 it became the venue for the Reagan–Gorbachev summit, an important episode in late Cold War diplomacy. Another international milestone followed in August 1991, when a declaration recognising the restored independence of the Baltic states was signed here. These events give the modest-sized house a place in history far beyond Iceland.
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