Lögberg (Law Rock)

Lögberg, also known as the Whetstone, is a rocky outcropping in southwestern Iceland, on the site of the meeting of the country's Althing parliament. The original Althing was collected in Þingvellir, an area of dramatic landscapes easily accessible from the populated areas of the southwest. The exact location of Lögberg is unknown, due to the changing geography of the rift valley over 1,000 years. Two possible sites have been identified at Þingvellir, one a flat ridge at the top of a slope called Hallurinn (currently marked by a flagpole), the other in the Almannagjá fault against a rock face. The Lögberg was the place where the legislature (lögsögumaður) took his seat as the presiding officer of the assembly of the Althing. Speeches and announcements were made from this spot. Everyone present could make their argument from the Lögberg. The meetings were also called and dissolved from there. The Lögberg fulfilled its purpose from the founding of the parliament in 930. It ceased to be used in 1262, when Iceland swore allegiance to Norway.

Exciting story, a little scary.

The epitome of Icelandic historyAt the time of settlement in Þingvellir riding paths from all parts of the country converged. Here, on the Thingplatz near the Almannagjá gorge, the traditional Althing assembly, which had both legislative and judicial functions, was held around 930, at the end of the conquest by mainly Norwegian Vikings, once a year for two weeks in June. It is one of the oldest parliaments in the world - after those in Greece and the Roman Empire of antiquity. The Althing existed until 1798, when the Danes dissolved it.In the year 1000 the assumption of Christianity was decided in Þingvellir.The Republic of Iceland was proclaimed on this historic site on 17 June 1944, and in 1994 its fiftieth anniversary was celebrated.Today, weathered and overgrown stone walls can still be seen on the edge of Parliament Square and in several parts of the gorge - remnants of the reservoirs, which were then covered with tarpaulins. Source: Wikipedia