Embassy Information
The Embassy of Iceland in Germany has started its work in 1952, right after the establishment of the diplomatic relations between both countries.
The Embassy in Berlin is also sideaccredited to the Czech Republic and works with the assistance of seven Icelandic honorary consulates, thereof six in Germany.
The Embassy´s duties are based on the political, economical and cultural exchange between Iceland and the other countries. To the daily duties also belong consular functions and the response to common inquiries about Iceland.
Information about Iceland's consulates in the embassy's jurisdiction can be found below.
Embassy of Iceland in Berlin
AddressRauchstraße 1
10787 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30 -50 50 40 00
Open all week days from 09:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 16:00
Phone hours: 13:00 - 16:00
Ambassador
María Erla Marelsdóttir
born 15 December 1969 in Reykjavik, Iceland
Foreign Service Career
Present Ambassador Agréé of Iceland to Germany
2013/2016-2019 Non-Resident Ambassador of Iceland to the Republic of
Malawi, the Republic of Uganda, the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia and the Republic of Kenya, the
Republic of Mozambique and to the State of Palestine.
2012-2019 Director General for International Development
Cooperation, Directorate for International Development
Cooperation, MFA
1 December 2011 Appointed as Ambassador
2009-2013 Member of the Negotiation Committee, Iceland’s
Accession Negotiations with the EU
2009-2013 Chairperson of the Negotiating Team for External
Trade, Foreign and Security Affairs, Iceland’s Accession
Negotiations with the EU
2009-2011 Director, Department for International Trade
Negotiations and Department D for Iceland’s EU
Accession, Directorate General for External Trade and
Economic, MFA
2007-2009 Counsellor, Directorate General for External Trade, MFA
2002-2005 Counsellor, Embassy of Iceland, Stockholm, Sweden
2001-2002 First Secretary, Embassy of Iceland, Stockholm, Sweden
1998-2001 First
Secretary, Embassy of Iceland, Bonn/Berlin,
Germany
1997 First Secretary, External Trade Department, MFA
Other Work Experience
1996 Lawyer, Icelandic Human Rights Centre, Iceland
Lawyer,
the Government Agency for Child Protection,
Iceland
Education:
2006 Degree of Master of Laws in European Law (LL.M.), Law Faculty,
Stockholm University
1995 Cand. Juris, Law Faculty, University of Iceland
1989 Graduated from the Reykjavík Upper Secondary
Grammar School, Department of Physics
Languages:
Icelandic, English, Swedish and German
Ambassador Marelsdóttir is married to Mr. Einar Örn Einarsson, Anesthetist and Intensive Care doctor and they have two children.
Connections between countries and political alliances have a long history in Northern Europe. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden comprise the so-called "Nordic Region" and have a common representation of interests in the Nordic Council (founded in 1952) and in the Nordic Council of Ministers (founded in 1971).
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German Parliament's resolution to relocate the capital from Bonn to Berlin, the often considered idea of a common Nordic embassy complex was able to be realised. The architectural competition was won by the Austrian/Finish architectural firm Alfred Berger and Tiina Parkkinen. The vision of five national embassy buildings with an open common building, the so-called Felleshus (house for all), enclosed by a band of copper, corresponded to the fundamental idea of individual freedom combined with a feeling of unity. Each of the embassy buildings was designed by an architect from that particular country.
The groundbreaking event was held in May 1997 with the ambassadors from the Nordic countries turning the first spade of dirt together with a five-handled shovel. In October 1999, only 29 months later, the embassies were officially opened in a joint ceremony. The copper band encloses all five embassies and the Felleshus. The area inside the copper band, the plaza, is transected by geometric lines. The three water basins between the embassy buildings are an architectural reference to the seas connecting the Nordic countries.
The embassy buildings are grouped to correspond to the arrangement of the countries on the map. The name Felleshus denotes the sense the building imbues and what it is used for - a house for all, a house in which to meet and interact. The Felleshus has an auditorium for concerts, readings, film viewings and conferences, exhibition spaces, conference rooms, a spacious terrace and a restaurant. The consular departments of the five countries are also housed here.