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Iceland

Snorrabúð (Snorri's Booth)

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Places to see

Natural Monuments

Iceland

Snorrabúð (Snorri's Booth)

Highlight • Historical Site

Snorrabúð (Snorri's Booth)

Recommended by 99 hikers out of 104

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum

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Location: Iceland

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Tips

Willem VS

May 28, 2024

Snorrabud is an important historical site, located in Þingvellir National Park. It is the founding location of Iceland as it was the site of the country's first parliament. The views from here are absolutely stunning. You can even go diving here if you're brave enough to brave the icy waters, where you can see the tectonic plates from a completely different perspective.

Translated by Google •

Sasha Taylor

April 23, 2023

Booths
THIS IS SNORRABUD (Snorri's Booth), one of the most, clearly visible booths at Þingvellir, named after Saga-age chieftain Snorri Porimsson. In the 19th-century, romantic poet Jónas Hallgrimsson (1807-1845) wrote in his poem Island (Iceland) verse translation by Dick Ringler.

Overgrown traces of buildings are visible on the parliamentary site at Þingvelli these are remnants of shelters or "booths" in which people stayed during the two-week session of the Alpingi (General Assembly) each summer. Traces of about 50 booths have been found, along both banks of the Öxará river and by the slope to Hotel Valhöll.

New booths were invariably built on top of remnants of older ones. Hence the visible remains we see today date mostly from the last two centuries of the Alpingi at Þingvellir, the 17th and 18th centuries. The precise form of the booths is not known, but probably walls were built of rock and turf, and roofed with fabric draped over a wooden frame. Little is known of the booths of the Commonwealth Age (930-1262/64), but written sources indicate that they were often large and closely spaced. The 12th-century law-code Grágás (Greylag) and the sagas of Icelanders provide some evidence on booths, e.g. that goðar (chieftains) should roof over the booth with woollen cloth, and that they should provide accommodation in booths for their followers.

Temporary shelters and tents of various kinds were also erected by visitors to the Alþingi. Latter-day booths were probably smaller than those of earlier centuries, as the function of the Alþingi changed from that of a legislative assembly to a simple court of law,

Source: Local signage

easymp

July 29, 2023

Great national park with its beautiful views.

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 110 m

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Location: Iceland

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Snorrabúð (Snorri's Booth)

1. Öxarárfoss – Flosagjá Fissure loop from Laugarvatn

2. View of the Þingvellir Rift – Flosagjá Fissure loop from Laugarvatn

3. Öxarárfoss Waterfall – Þingvellir National Park loop from Laugarvatn

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