Bessastaðir

The official residence of the president of the country, on a low peninsula across the bay from Reykjavík. The white manor house and adjoining church date from the eighteenth century, built during the period of Danish rule when the estate served as the governor's seat. Earlier it was a royal farm and, in the medieval period, home to the saga writer associated with the site. Archaeological remains beneath the buildings span centuries of occupation. The estate is not generally open, but the elegant white ensemble is a familiar national landmark.