Thingvellir

 

 
In 930 AD, while most of Europe was mired in feudalism and conflict, chieftains in Iceland gathered in a natural amphitheater to the north and west of Reykjavik and formed the world’s first parliament, the Althing. The meeting place was called Thingvellir (“parliament plains”), and over the next 300 years representatives journeyed here once a year to elect leaders, argue cases, and settle disputes - sometimes peacefully, sometimes not. Today, Thingvellir National Park remains the ultimate symbol of Iceland’s independence and unity, a landscape inseparable from the national soul. 

The founders of the Althing could hardly have chosen a more appropriate place to meet. Thingvellir tells the story of Iceland’s land as much as it does its people. Nowhere in the country is there a landscape that better vocalizes the geologic history of Iceland. In Thingvellir, you can stand on a bluff and see the Mid-Atlantic ridge as it carves its way North and East into the island’s interior. 
 

Reykjavik | Blue Lagoon | Geysir | Gullfoss | AkuryeriThingvellir | Snaefellsnes Peninsula | Lake Myvatn | Westmann Isles 

 

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