Stjórnarráðshúsið (Prime Minister 's Office), Reykjavik

The Government House, located in Reykjavík, is an impressive structure that currently serves as the headquarters of the Prime Minister's Office. Interestingly, this building has a historical origin dating back to the mid-18th century when it was initially constructed as Iceland's very first prison facility.

In 1733, Henrik Ocksen, a district commissioner, wrote to Joachim Henriksen Lafrenz, another commissioner, discussing the need for a penitentiary in Iceland. This was prompted by the case of Katrín Ingjaldsdóttir, who had her death sentence commuted to life imprisonment by the king. Iceland often had to send life-term prisoners to Denmark due to the lack of suitable facilities.

It wasn't until March 20, 1759, that the King of Denmark formally approved the construction of a penitentiary in Iceland. Construction work on the building commenced in 1761, and interestingly, the convicts themselves contributed to its construction as part of their sentence. A decade later, in the winter of 1770–71, the building was completed and ready for use. A tax on real estate, including imprisonment costs, funded the penitentiary, but it faced public resistance and closed in 1816.

In 1904, the Government House became the location for the first Icelandic ministry, and later, the cabinet. In 1918, the building was officially named after this purpose. Since then, the Prime Minister's Office and the Government of Iceland have conducted their operations within this historic edifice. It's worth noting that from 1973 to 1996, the office of the President of Iceland was also housed in the Government House, and it holds the distinction of being the place where the Icelandic national flag was first raised.