Þingvellir National Park

 Iceland
Bláskógabyggð municipality, district of Arnessysla
N64 15 13.7 W21 2 14.1
Date of Inscription: 2004
Criteria: (iii)(vi)
Property : 9,270 ha
Ref: 1152
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Þingvellir (Thingvellir) is the National Park where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798. Over two weeks a year, the assembly set laws – seen as a covenant between free men – and settled disputes. The Althing has deep historical and symbolic associations for the people of Iceland. The property includes the Þingvellir National Park and the remains of the Althing itself: fragments of around 50 booths built from turf and stone. Remains from the 10th century are thought to be buried underground. The site also includes remains of agricultural use from the 18th and 19th centuries. The park shows evidence of the way the landscape was husbanded over 1,000 years.

A rift valley with its high cliffs makes Þingvellir National Park a magnificent natural backdrop for the open air parliamentary assembly (or Alþing) of Iceland, which was held there annually from around 930 AD to 1798. Over two weeks a year, the assembly set laws – seen as a covenant between free people – and settled disputes. The Alþing has deep historical and symbolic associations for the people of Iceland. The property includes the Þingvellir National Park and the remains of the Alþing itself: fragments of around 50 booths built from turf and stone. Remains from the 10th century are thought to be buried underground. The property also includes Þingvellir Church and adjacent farm, the population of arctic char in Lake Þingvallavatn as well as remains of agricultural use from the 18th and 19th centuries. Its dramatic history dating back to the establishment of the Alþing gives insight into how a Viking Age pioneer community organized its society from scratch and evolved towards the modern world.

Þingvellir National Park is located in an active volcanic area, just 49 km east of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, and covers 24,000 ha, of which 9,270 ha constitute the World Heritage property. Its best-defined feature is a major rift, which has produced dramatic fissures and cliffs demonstrating inter-continental drifting in a spectacular and understandable way. The National Park is enclosed by a varied belt of mountains on three sides, featuring grass-covered lava fields, and Lake Þingvallavatn lies at its southern end. This outstanding scenery gives the area its unparalleled value.

The World Heritage property contains the physical remains of the Alþing and its long persistence at Þingvellir. There is a well-known kinship between the Alþing, Þingvellir, and Germanic Law and governance, documented through the Icelandic sagas and the written codification of the Grágás Laws. This closeness was strengthened in the 19th century by the independence movement and a growing appreciation of landscape values and their perceived association with ‘natural’ and ‘noble’ laws. Furthermore, the Alþing is closely linked to its hinterland (now the landscape of the National Park), an agricultural land that was traditionally used as grazing grounds for those attending the Alþing, and across which the tracks led to the Assembly grounds. The fossilised cultural landscape of the park reflects the evolution of the farming landscape over the past thousand years, with its abandoned farms, fields, tracks; associations with people and events recorded in place names and archival evidence also document the settlement in Iceland as well as the high natural values of this landscape. The inspirational qualities of Þingvellir’s landscape, derived from its unchanged dramatic beauty, its association with national events and ancient systems of law and governance, have lent the area its iconic status and turned it into the spiritual centre of Iceland.

Criterion (iii): The Alþing and its hinterland, the Þingvellir National Park, represent, through the remains of the assembly ground, the booths for those who attended, and through landscape evidence of settlement extending back possibly to the time the assembly was established, a unique reflection of medieval Norse/Germanic culture and one that persisted in essence from its foundation in 930 AD until the 18th century.

Criterion (vi): Pride in the strong association of the Alþing to medieval Norse/Germanic governance, known through the 12th century Icelandic sagas and reinforced during the fight for independence in the 19th century, have, together with the powerful natural setting of the assembly grounds, given the site iconic status as a shrine for the national Icelandic identity.

Suggested Bases:

Reykjavik is the capital of and largest city in Iceland and with an urban area population of around 200,000, it is the home to two-thirds of Iceland’s population. It is the centre of culture and life of the Icelandic people, and is one of the focal points of tourism in Iceland. The city is spread out, and has sprawling suburbs. The city centre, however, is a very small area characterised by eclectic and colourful houses, with good shopping, dining and drinking. Reykjavik has the distinction of being the northernmost capital city in the world, though its winters are surprisingly mild for a city of its latitude. Reykjavík’s old town is small and easy to walk around. The houses have some very distinct features, most notably their brightly colored corrugated metal siding. Plan to spend at least a couple hours just wandering around, taking in the city. And for further feasts of the eyes, there are several museums and art galleries in the city, most of them within easy reach of the downtown area [read more].

Kopavogur is a city in Southwest Iceland, with a population of 30,000 (December 1. 2007). Kópavogur is a part of Reykjavík metropolitan area, located south of Reykjavík. They share municipal borders, so its not hard to get there. Kópavogur is central in the capital area and there are roads, bus routes and pedestrian and bicycle paths that link Kópavogur with the rest of the Reykjavík area. Kópavogur is one of the youngest towns in Iceland so there is not much there of historical significance. It was a suburb of Reykjavík with the first houses built during World War II. Explosive growth in business and housing building doubled the town in size since 1990, giving it large shopping centers and an office/commercial building that is the tallest building in Iceland. The things to see are primarily in the older part of the town, particularly the Kársnes peninsula with trees in the gardens and treelined streets and the picturesque church on top of the Borgarholt [read more].

Hafnarfjordur is a town in Southwest Iceland with a population of 25,000. It has a long history as a town (by Icelandic standards) but has today become a suburb of Reykjavík and the westernmost town in the contiguous urban area of the capital. Hafnarfjörður is in many ways dominated by its neighbour Reykjavík. However, it is also a separate town with its own centre and independent town spirit. It forms a sort of second centre of gravity in the greater Reykjavík area (or the greater Hafnarfjörður area as some locals call it), with most of the suburbs having formed between these two towns. The name of the town means harbour-fjord and Hafnarfjörður has a large harbour, used both for imports, exports and fishing. It also has some of the most important industrial areas around the capital. The old town of Hafnarfjörður is what most people come to see. Despite its growth and becoming part of the much larger capital area, Hafnarfjörður retains a village charm in its heart, with small wooden buildings and narrow winding streets [read more].