Höf∂i, Reykjavík, 1972 (Spassky - Fischer)

- poem on the 21st match, Chess World Championship, 1972 -



Höf∂i, the house was imported from Norway in the late 19th centruy for the French consul who had been sent to Iceland in order to assist the French fishermen, visiting the Icelandic fishing ground. When the French consul left around World War I, the house was bought by the Icelandic poet Einar Benediktson, who had returned from law studies in Copenhagen.

One of Einar's first cases, was one involving his own family, it was a case involving a brother and a sister and their intimate relationship and their new born child who died. Sólborg the woman, became ill due to the trial and later committed suicide. Einar believed he never left him alone after that.

During the second World War the British first rented the house and later bought it, however in 1951 the British ambassador complained of a "White lady" who would not leave him in piece. The haunted house was sold to the Reykjavik council and the ambassador left to another house in central Reykjavik.
Since then the house has been used mainly for receptions on behalf of the city council.

One cold say the most famous of these meetings hosted by the Reykjavik city was one held on a cold and rainy day in October 1986, where Ronald Reagan and Michail Gorbatjov started the process of the end of the so called Cold War.