Þingvellir National Park (“Parliament plains”) the most important historical site in Iceland. For nearly 9 centuries, from the year 930 the Althing, the legislative body of Icelanders, was held there annually near the north end of the lake.
Some marked ruins there and in the canyon Almannagjá.
A flagpole marks the likely site of Lögberg (“Law cliff”) where the lawspeaker recited the laws. The plains and surrounding area were made a National Park in 1928.
The area is mostly covered with birch and willow and has many lava fissures, some filled with icy cold, crystal-clear water.
There is a parsonage, church and a national graveyard where the poets Einar Benediktsson and Jónas Hallgrímsson are buried. Þingvellir were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in the summer of 2004.
At Hakið, a viewspot where tourists may walk down into Almannagjá fault, a tourist information centre has been built for the Þingvellir National Park. In this centre, tourists are introduced to the history and nature of Þingvellir with the aid of multimedia techniques. Þingvellir is a very popular camping place in summer.