We, the people of Hafnarfjörður, bid farewell to Halldór Árni.
Halldór Árni Sveinsson, an artist, media professional and teacher, will be laid to rest today. Halldór played a key role in preserving the cultural heritage of us residents of Hafnarfjörður.
Halldór Árni was laid to rest today.
Halldór Árni Sveinsson, an artist, media professional and teacher, will be laid to rest today. Halldór played a key role in preserving the cultural heritage of us Hafnarfjörður residents. He recorded, among other things, meetings of the Hafnarfjörður town council for four decades, right up until 2023, when he streamed his final town council meeting on 20 December that year.
Halldór was born on 22 February 1955. He died on 15 July 2026. Halldór's parents were Sveinn Halldórsson, b. 16 December 1926, d. 18 July 2006, and Lilja Árna Sigurðardóttir, b. 15 August 1928, d. 28 January 2015.
Halldór Árni Sveinsson, artist, media professional and teacher, will be laid to rest today. Photo: Guðni Gíslason
Halldór worked many varied jobs throughout his life. Early in his adult life, he worked as a disc jockey, an entertainment manager and in other technical roles. He studied commercial art at the Iceland Academy of the Arts from 1982 to 1986. He then worked in media and film-making, and for many years taught media technology at Flensborg School in Hafnarfjörður. This is stated in his obituary in Morgunblaðið today.
In the final years of his career, he worked as a freelancer, managing online streaming for numerous institutions, organisations and private individuals. He leaves behind a large archive of audio and video material, mainly of cultural events, spanning more than four decades. In addition, Halldór was a visual artist and organised many art exhibitions. His funeral will be held at Hafnarfjarðarkirkja today, 11 August 2026, at 3 p.m.
The Municipality of Hafnarfjörður remembers a good man. Halldór Árni's journey for the City of Hafnarfjörður began around 40 years ago on the city's 75th anniversary, where he was in charge of the first Hafnarfjörður radio broadcast. Halldór Árni was granted the fourth licence issued in Iceland for radio broadcasting after the state monopoly was lifted.of the state broadcaster was abolished. The broadcast became the spark for what would later become Radio Hafnarfjörður. The first broadcast of a town council meeting was at the beginning of 1988, where the budget for the financial year was approved.
Halldór Árni was a man of many talents. He has, in a variety of ways, both left his mark on the town life of Hafnarfjörður and on its documentation. Halldór Árni was usually the first person on the scene at the various celebrations and festivities. He left behind a large and extensive collection of words and pictures on the historical events of Hafnarfjörður and the town of Hafnarfjörður.
In his obituary for Halldór Árni, Mayor Þórður Þórarinsson writes that he undoubtedly prides himself on having attended the most meetings of the Hafnarfjörður town council.
„Hafnarfjörður is deeply indebted to Halldór for documenting the town's history and sharing it with its residents. May his memory be blessed. To his descendants, relatives and friends, I send my most sincere condolences.
Thorður Þórarinsson“
Orri Björnsson, chairman of the town council, writes about Halldór Árni:
„His recordings of events, large and small, have become a great treasure for us residents of Hafnarfjörður, but he was also an artist and a fine writer. Thousands of hours and thousands of faces exist on film because Dóri turned up with his camera at the most incredible events, large and small, and recorded them. For this, he deserves eternal thanks and honour, and we Hafnfirðingar are most certainly grateful.“
Orri also says:
„The grief is, of course, great, for family and friends, but the memory of a good man lives on, and the certainty that Halldór Árni Sveinsson's life was a full and good one is what ultimately matters most. Thank you for your companionship, my Dóri.“
We at Hafnarfjörður Municipality echo these words, thanking Dóri for his companionship, for all the work he did for the town, and for his wonderful presence throughout. Our condolences to those of you who were closest to him.