Bankastræti

With the building of a bridge over Lækinn, the stream running from Tjörnin along what is now Lækjargata, in 1828, Bankarstræti, along with the contiguous Austurstræti and Laugavegur, became some of the most important streets in Reykjavík.

Since 2012, Bankastræti, along with Laugarvegur and Skólavörðustígur, has been pedestrianised during the summer as part of the 'sumar götur eru sumargötur' ('some streets are summerstreets') scheme.

The statue Vatnsberinn ('the water-carrier') by Ásmundur Sveinsson stands on the slope, along with a large outdoor chess set with pieces made by the sculptor Jón Gunnar Árnason.

It is in two parts, the men's toilet on one side of the street and the women's on the other, underground, so only the entrance is visible at the surface.

[4] These toilets give their name to Einar Már Guðmundsson's 2009 book Bankastræti núll; reminiscing about what they were like around the 1980s, Einar Már associates them with 'undirheimum, kulda, kynlífi, forvitni, bannhelgi, undarlegum manni í hvítum sloppi, áfengislykt, smokkum og hlandi, blóðhlaunum augum, rónum að pissa' ('the underworld, cold, sex, curiosity, taboos, a strange man in a white coat, the smell of alcohol, condoms and urine, bloodshot eyes, drunkards pissing').