EnjoyIceland.is - Laugardalur Valley - Family Park and Zoo, Botanical Garden, Headquarters of all sports in Iceland

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Laugardalur Valley - Family Park and Zoo, Botanical Garden, Headquarters of all sports in Iceland - The Greater Reykjavik Area Iceland

Laugardalur, 104 Reykjavík

Region: The Greater Reykjavik Area

About: (Description)
Laugardalur, (“Hot spring valley”) lies between the ridges Laugarás and Grensás, or more precisely between the streets Suðurlandsbraut and Laugarásvegur. The Laugardalsvöllur sports field was built there between 1950 and 1957 and was followed by one building after another. The Laugardalshöll sports stadium, the Laugardalslaug swimming pool, a Skating Rink and then more sports fields and office buildings.

Laugardalur is now the main headquarters of all sports in Iceland that are associated with Íþróttasamband Íslands (“The Icelandic Sport Federation”). On August 18th 1961, Reykjavík’s 175th birthday, Grasagarður Reykjavíkur (“The Reykjavík Botanical Gardens”) was established. It contains examples of most Icelandic plants (about 300-350) as well as thousands of foreign plants.

Þvottalaugarnar (“The washing springs”) are hot springs where people, especially from Reykjavík, used to come to do their washing in memory of which Ásmundur Sveinsson’s statue Þvottakonan (“The washerwoman”) has been put up there. In 1928-30 drilling for hot water produced a considerable flow of water at 93°C. Hot water was piped to a number of buildings, first of all to the newly-built Austurbæjarskólinn junior school on Skólavörðuholt. This was the beginning of the massive operations to heat all of Reykjavík with natural hot water.

In addition to the Reykjavík Botanical Gardens and the sporting facilities in Laugardalur, there is Húsdýragarðurinn, a Zoo containing all the domestic animals to be found on Icelandic farms, and Fjölskyldugarðurinn, a family fun park with all kinds of facilities and equipment for the amusement of young and old.

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