Interesting sights in Thingvellir
Located in southwest Iceland, Thingvellir is a popular tourist destination that contains several interesting sights to visit. Whether you like gorgeous views or interesting historic sights Thingvellir has a plethora of both. Far from the frozen landscape that you might imagine Iceland to be, it has many interesting sights to visit and in the summer its protected parks are a sight that should not be missed.
The historic importance of Thingvellir is ancient. In 930 the city was the location of the first parliament assembly in the world. This date marks the very first parliament, and is also considered the founding date of Iceland as a country. For many years after, Vikings met in Thingvellir to discuss old laws and pass new ones. The city's location made it convenient location for all leaders to travel to in a reasonable amount of time. A naturally occurring flat rock served as a platform for speakers and allowed everyone in the valley below to hear. The gathering also served as a supreme court, and anyone in attendance was permitted to watch all the proceedings, although few held full rights in ancient times. To this day, Thingvellir is still an important location for national and political gatherings.
Located near a rift in two major tectonic plates and on one of the few places where the Mid-Atlantic ridge rises above the water, natural beauty is easy to find. This area also has some of the clearest lakes in the world as rainwater gathers in depressions in the rocks. These traits, as well as being home to the largest lake in Iceland makes Thingvellir a great destination for hiking and sight seeing. All of these geological sights have also led the city to being designated as a national park.
With so many geological and historical sights, Thingvellir will not bore any visitor.
