Telegraph Station in Melarnir

The Telegraph Station in Melarnir (Icelandic: Loftskeytastöðin á Melunum) is a former telegraph station in Reykjavík, which operated between 1918 and 1963. The station was the first of its kind in the country, being both able to receive as well as transmit messages.^[1] Since 2015 the building is protected under the cultural heritage law,^[2] and currently serves as a cultural centre.

The station's main building was constructed in 1915;^[3] by July of the following year, the Minister for Iceland Einar Arnórsson signed a deal with the British Marconi Company to raise a telegraph station in Melarnir, Reykjavík.^[4] The Telegraph Station in Melarnir formally began operations on June 17, 1918, transmitting as Reykjavík Radíó.

Initially, the telegraph station was intended as a backup connection with overseas countries in case that the undersea cable failed. However, the station's primary role quickly became ship service, substantially enhancing maritime safety in Iceland. As a result, Icelandic ships started commonly hiring telegraph operators.^[5]

Friðbjörn Aðalsteinsson became the telegraph station's first director, having studied telegraphy at Bergen Radio in Norway.^[5] The station was fitted with two 77 metre-tall antenna masts, being able to transmit up to 750 kilometres in daylight—an equivalent to the distance from Iceland to the Faroe Islands. During nighttime the station could transmit up to 1,500 kilometres.^[1] Ultimately, the Telegraph Station in Melarnir was closed in 1963, transferring its operations to a station in Gufunes.^[6]

Since March 1, 2005, the building was owned of the National Museum of Iceland.^[2] In February 2015, the Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð, the University of Iceland's rector Kristín Ingólfsdóttir, and the Director of the National Museum of Iceland signed an agreement to transfer ownership of the building to the University of Iceland.^[3] Currently the building serves as a cultural centre.