Þingvellir National Park - Þingvellir, Iceland - National Parks of the World on Waymarking.com

Wikipedia (visit link) informs us:

"Þingvellir ... is a place in Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. It is the site of a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is also home to Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Parliament or Alþingi was established at Þingvellir in 930 and remained there until 1798. Þingvellir National Park was founded in 1930 to protect the remains of the parliament site and was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area. Þingvellir National Park was the first national park in Iceland and was decreed "a protected national shrine for all Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged.

Founding of Parliament

According to the Book of Settlements (Landnámabók), the settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norwegian settler on the island. Over the next centuries, people of Norse and Celtic origin settled in Iceland. Early on, district assemblies were formed, but as the population grew there was a need for a general assembly. The descendants of Ingólfur who dominated the region of southwest Iceland had become the most powerful family in the country, and other chieftains felt a need for a general assembly to limit their power.

Grímur Geitskör was allotted the role of rallying support and finding a suitable location for the assembly. At about the same time, the owner of Bláskógar (the contemporary name for the Þingvellir region) was found guilty of murder and his land was declared public and obligated to be used for assembly proceedings, the building of temporary dwellings, the use of the forest for kindling and the grazing of horses. The Þingvellir region was chosen for this reason and the accessibility from the most populous regions of the north, south and west.[6] The farthest distance a goði (chieftain) had to travel was 17 days traveling from the easternmost part of the country where mountains and glacial rivers proved bothersome obstacles.

The foundation of the Icelandic parliament is said to be the founding of the nation of Iceland, and the first parliamentary proceedings in the summer of 930 laid ground for a common cultural heritage and national identity."

Also see (visit link)

Park Name: Þingvellir National Park Historic/Cultural Park: yes Natural Park: yes Recreation Area: yes Other Park Type not listed above: Park Website: [Web Link] Type of Listing: Entrance Fees in Local Currency: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Dates of Access: From: 01/01/2014 To: 12/31/2014 Hiking: yes Camping: yes Bicycling: yes Horseback Riding: yes Off-Roading: no Swimming: no Snorkling/Scuba: yes Boating: no Fishing: yes Other Activities: Walking and Hiking. Camping. Angling. Wildlife Refuge: Not Listed Other Type Detail: Not listed Hours available: Not listed Rock Climbing: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:

A log will require a recent photograph at the coordinates. Some of these locations will be placed for the scenery, so a gpsr will just ruin the picture.

If you don't have a digital camera post a descriptive log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/28/2023 jirca76 visited it 03/16/2023 LordSolfernus visited it 08/03/2020 csara visited it 10/02/2019 Ajosa visited it 08/31/2019 Nov64 visited it 07/08/2019 lamiche37 visited it 02/20/2019 Kalmoda visited it 09/16/2018 seapanda visited it 03/05/2018 Rymyhomie visited it 04/26/2017 JamesA60 visited it 02/10/2017 suviss visited it 04/04/2015 tigwash visited it 01/23/2015 greysman visited it 06/15/2014 Metro2 visited it 11/28/2010 *sunshine*** visited it 07/24/2010 Trail Blaisers visited it

View all visits/logs