Perlan
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Perlan (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈpʰɛrtlan]; English: The Pearl) is the number one attraction in Reykjavík and the biggest nature museum in Iceland. It´s also a prominent landmark in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík. It is situated on the top of Öskjuhlíð hill. It was initially only a cluster of hot water tanks, but on 1991 June 21st, the building was inaugurated and opened to the public. The building consists of a vast glass dome resting on top of six district heating tanks. Four of them are still in use, one hosts a real Ice cave, and one has been turned into a planetarium.
At Perlan, you can learn all about Icelandic nature at the Wonders of Iceland exhibition. Its exhibits are modern and interactive so guests can experience and learn in a fun way. The main attractions are a real Ice cave, a Northern Lights show in Perlans Planetarium, and a Lava film.
On the 4th floor, you will find a gift store with a good selection of Icelandic designs. Perlans Ice Cream Parlour, with its homemade Ice cream, is also located on the 4th floor. Its design has gotten worldwide attention. From the 4th floor, you can access the 360°observation deck with views all over the city and its surroundings—nearby mountains and out to the Atlantic Ocean.
On the 5th floor, right under the glass dome, you´ll find Perlans restaurant and Café. The view from there is quite spectacular. As the floor revolves, it constantly changes as you sit there.
Highlights of Perlan:
- Planetarium with a Northern Lights show – Arora, the first 8k film of its kind
- Ice cave, 100 meters long. Built from around 400 tons of ice, snow, and ash
- Interactive Glacier Exhibit
- Lava show
- Water Exhibition
- Latrabjarg Cliff, a ten-meter-high replica of one of Europe‘s biggest seabird cliffs
- Virtual Fish tank
- Forces of Nature Exhibit and Iceland´s geological story timeline
- 360° observation deck
- Ice Cream Parlour
- Restaurant and Café
History
In 1939, a single hot water tank was constructed on Öskjuhlíð hill in Reykjavík, where Perlan stands today. It is 61 meters above sea level, which gives enough pressure to push water up to the 10th floor of a building, 38 meters above sea level. That sufficed to supply water anywhere in Reykjavík – even to the hill where Hallgrímskirkja church stands today. In the next two decades, five more tanks rose beside the first one. They were torn down and rebuilt in the late eighties.
In 1991, those six hot water tanks became the base of Perlan, a building open to the public. This project was largely at the behest of Davíð Oddsson during his time as mayor of Reykjavík. Shaped and named after a pearl, it now characterizes Iceland's capital.[citation needed] Each tank can keep up to five million liters of hot water, with a volume of 5000 m3.
Perlan was initially designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson.
Exhibitions
- Wonders of Iceland is an interactive and immersive exhibit that shows and lets you learn all about Icelandic nature: glaciers, geysers, earthquakes, mammals in Icelandic water, birds, and volcanoes. There is also a timeline explaining how Iceland was formed and how life in Iceland evolved. In Wonders of Iceland exhibits, one of the highlights is a replica of Látrabjarg cliff.
- The Icelandic Museum of Natural History presents an exhibit in Perlan: Water in Icelandic Nature. This is an exhibition about the importance of water in Icelandic nature.[1]
- A world-class planetarium with an award-winning show - Áróra. This show is about the Northern Lights. It takes you on journey through our solar system and Icelandic landscapes.
- Lava Show is a film that takes you to the recent eruption site with great footage and a volcano-like scent.
Observation deck
Being situated on the top of a hill, Perlan offers a stunning view over Reykjavík, the surrounding areas, mountains, the Atlantic Ocean.
See also
References
- ^ Edda (2018-09-06). "First-class exhibition in Perlan - December 2018". Perlan. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
External links
