At Þingvellir the ground itself splits apart. Visitors walk along a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian plates are pulling apart, on the same plain where Iceland’s Vikings founded their parliament in 930 CE and, a thousand years later, declared the modern republic.
At a glance
Þingvellir National Park lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Almannagjá gorge marks the edge of the North American tectonic plate as it drifts away from the Eurasian plate. The rift valley floor, dropping between rock walls up to 32 metres high, was chosen by Iceland’s Norse settlers as the site of their assembly, the Althing, founded in 930 CE. Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake, is visible from the plain.
Key facts
- Almannagjá gorge: around 7.7 km long, up to 32 metres deep, forming the western edge of the rift valley.
- Tectonic movement: the North American and Eurasian plates are drawing apart here at roughly 2 cm a year.
- The Althing: founded in 930 CE, it met annually at Þingvellir for three centuries and is regarded as the oldest continuously operating parliament in the world.
- Law Rock (Lögberg): the platform on the gorge’s eastern wall from which the Lawspeaker recited Iceland’s laws.
- Þingvallavatn: Iceland’s largest natural lake by area, at 84 square kilometres.
- UNESCO status: inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2004.
History
Iceland’s land-taking period began around 870 CE, and by 930 CE the free-born settlers had chosen Þingvellir, with its open grassland and water supply, as the site for a general assembly. The Althing met there every June for two weeks, with the Lawspeaker reciting the law code from memory over a three-year cycle. In 1000 CE the assembly voted to adopt Christianity as Iceland’s religion, a decision reached by public compromise rather than by royal decree or conquest, allowing private pagan worship to continue alongside the new faith.
Iceland remained a commonwealth without a king until 1262, when internal conflict during the Sturlung Age led the country to submit to the Norwegian crown; it passed under Danish control from 1380. The following centuries brought plague, religious reformation, a raid by Barbary corsairs that took hundreds of Icelanders into slavery, and the catastrophic Laki eruption of 1783, which killed roughly a quarter of the population. The Danish crown abolished the Althing in 1799; it was re-established in Reykjavik in 1843 and later moved to a permanent building. In 1944 Icelanders declared their republic at Þingvellir, deliberately linking the modern state to the assembly founded there in 930 CE. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2004.
What you see
The main path follows the Almannagjá gorge from the visitor centre, running along the rift valley floor with the tectonic plate boundary visible in the exposed rock walls. Partway along stands the Law Rock, marked today by a flagpole, where the Lawspeaker once addressed the assembled Althing. Below the plateau sits Þingvallakirkja, a white church built in 1859, with a cemetery behind it where several Icelandic statesmen and notable figures are buried.
To the southeast lies Flosagjá, a second gorge, and within the park the Silfra fissure offers snorkelling and diving in glacial meltwater renowned for its exceptional clarity, in a crack that runs along the same plate boundary. Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake, stretches beyond the plain and is known for its brown trout and Arctic char. Þingvellir forms the first stop on the Golden Circle route, together with the Geysir geothermal area and the Gullfoss waterfall.
Practical information
- Entry: access to the national park itself is free; a car parking charge applies and goes towards park upkeep, for current rates check the official Þingvellir National Park channels.
- Gorge walk: the main path along Almannagjá from the visitor centre runs roughly 2–3 km one way and takes around an hour to ninety minutes on flat ground.
- Diving and snorkelling: Silfra requires a dry suit for diving, given the year-round cold of the glacial water; bookings and current requirements are best confirmed with licensed operators or the park authority.
Getting there
Þingvellir lies about 40 km from Reykjavik along Route 36, making it an easy self-drive or organised day trip. It is the first stop on the Golden Circle, which also takes in Geysir and Gullfoss and can be completed in a single day.
Nearby
- Geysir geothermal area — further along the Golden Circle route, known for its erupting hot springs.
- Gullfoss waterfall — also on the Golden Circle, one of Iceland’s best-known waterfalls.
- Flosagjá gorge — within Þingvellir National Park, a second fissure southeast of Almannagjá.
- Silfra fissure — within the park, a celebrated site for diving and snorkelling between the tectonic plates.
Sources
- UNESCO
- Þingvellir National Park
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