Framework of the interior of the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland (© Hans Strand/Corbis)

【November 13 2013】The very first performance held at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland, might never have happened if the government hadn’t stepped in to fund the remaining construction. When the financial crisis of 2008 hit Iceland, construction of the building halted. Plans for additional office structures and a luxury hotel were abandoned, but taxes picked up the tab for the concert hall, which was finally completed in 2011. Home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, the concert hall won the 2013 Mies van der Rohe Award, the European Union’s prize for contemporary architecture.Explore breathtaking Gallery from the HuluTrip homepage over the past 5 years..