"Žingvellir National Park. " a Þingvellir Travel Page by Regina1965

On the 10th of July 2009 our beloved hotel at Thingvellir burnt to the ground :(

Žingvellir, our National Park, is situated on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the American and Eurasian continents, making it a very special tourist attraction and for us Icelanders this is the holiest place in Iceland and one of the places we visit the most. The tectonic plates are actually visible here, in earlier days the rift where the plates meet used to be a lot more shallow, but has sunk more and more over the years and it is said that the Vikings might not even recognise Almannagjį rift anymore.

The tectonic plates drift apart about 2 cm each year.

Žingvellir is the only place in the world which has been recognized by UNESCO as a cultural site connected to the Viking culture.

The oldest parliament in the world was established at Žingvellir in 930 by the Vikings and convened there until 1798. For 2 weeks every summer people from all over Iceland gathered in Žingvellir to attend Alžingi, the parliament. Now the parliament is in the center of Reykjavķk.

I have added a tip on Žingvellir on my Iceland page.

Öxarį river runs from Öxarįrfoss waterfall and is beautiful both during the winter and summer. It runs into Iceland's biggest lake, Žingvallavatn, where one can buy a licence to catch fish. There is also a camping area at Žingvellir. See my tip on Öxarįrfoss for more pictures.

Almannagjį is the biggest rift in Žingvellir, but there are rifts all over the place and there is a tradition here in Žingvellir to throw money into "Peningagjį" (peningar=money in Icelandic) and make a wish. The water in Peningagjį is VERY cold, so take care not to fall in. The water is very clear making it a beautiful sight watching the coins sink. There is a myriad of coins in the water. See my tip on Peningagjį for more pictures.

There is Diving and snorkeling in The Silfra rift at Žingvellir, the visibility is 100+ and it is said to be one of the best diving places in the world. So if you fancy diving in between the American and Eurasian continents this is the place to dive.