Golden Circle. Due to its great historical and geological significance, the Þingvellir (literally ‘Assembly Plains’) area is praised as the national shrine of Iceland: the first national park was established there in 1928, and the area has been recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site for its outstanding universal value. The Alþingi, or Iceland’s parliament, was founded there as early as 930, making it the oldest operating parliament globally, and it continued to convene at the fields of river Öxará for 868 years, until 1798. Many significant events of Iceland’s history have taken place there, and Icelanders consider it the nation’s birthplace. Þingvellir enjoys a unique geographical setting: a rift valley in the divide between the North-American and Eurasian continental plates.
The lava fields at Þingvellir are torn apart by tectonic forces, leaving admirable gorges and fissures: the most impressive of them, Almannagjá, is the focal point of the national park and marks the edge of the North-American plate and the beginning of the Þingvellir rift valley. A hiking path leads through the enormous cleft to the “law rock” and Öxará river, enveloped by stunning walls of basalt rocks. The rift valley hosts Iceland’s largest natural lake ‘Þingvallavatn’ which enjoys a unique ecosystem where four distinct varieties of Arctic char have developed since the end of the last Ice Age.
Þingvellir is one of the main attractions of the ‘Golden Circle‘ and is located within a 40-minute drive from Reykjavík: the park offers various hiking trails, and extra activities like angling, horse riding, and scuba diving in the Silfra fissure. The national park itself is open 24/7 and there is no entrance fee; there is a parking fee for motor vehicles and an entrance fee for the “Heart of Iceland” exhibition.
Read more on Thingvellir.is and on Visiticeland.com
