Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

Thingvellir National Park, in southwest Iceland, occupies more than 9200 hectares (35 square miles) of moorland, lakes and mountains. It is one of the country’s most popular tourist areas, but it also has great significance for its remarkable geographical features and historical connections that go back to the earliest days of human habitation in Iceland.

Geography

Iceland lies above the mid-Atlantic ridge, which is where the tectonic plates that carry America to the west and Europe to the east are slowly moving apart as new rock wells up from deep within the Earth’s crust. For nearly all its length the ridge is covered by the Atlantic Ocean, but it comes to the surface in Iceland and can be seen in Thingvellir National Park. The rift is clearly visible, as are cliffs of solidified magma that mark the western edge of the ridge.

The Park contains Lake Thingvallavatn, which is Iceland’s largest natural lake. The surface is 330 feet above sea level, but the water is up to 380 feet deep. 

History

Thingvellir means “meeting place of the people”. This was where the Althing met from 930 to 1798. This is the world’s oldest example of a representative parliament, meeting for a two-week period every year to decide on laws and conduct trials of lawbreakers.

It became the custom for people to treat the Althing as a much wider social event, with people gathering in their thousands from all over Iceland for purposes of trade, entertainment and cultural activity. Temporary dwellings were built to accommodate the attenders, and the remains of some of the huts can still be seen.

Thingvellir has acquired almost a mystical significance and is regarded by modern Icelanders as a very special place. 

© John Welford