Tales of the Table · Tales of the Table
Kolviðarhóll (1877–1952) – Lost Tables
Kolviðarhóll was the famous inn on the old road over Hellisheiði, where a shelter was first built in 1844 and a proper inn in 1877. In 1903 Valgerður Þórðardóttir arrived on foot in a storm and was hired as cook; she married the owner, Sigurður Daníelsson, and together they kept the house open day a
Kolviðarhóll was the famous inn on the old road over Hellisheiði, where a shelter was first built in 1844 and a proper inn in 1877. In 1903 Valgerður Þórðardóttir arrived on foot in a storm and was hired as cook; she married the owner, Sigurður Daníelsson, and together they kept the house open day and night, offering travellers food, drink, horses and guides. In 1929 they opened a new concrete inn with 20 rooms, central heating and its own generator, designed by state architect Guðjón Samúelsson and largely paid for by the couple themselves. Valgerður ran it alone after 1935, the sports club ÍR bought it in 1938, and during the war it was popular with British and American soldiers. All operations ceased in 1952, and the derelict building was razed in 1977.
The inn was razed in summer 1977
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