Lögberg

Lögberg

Lögberg

UNESCO World Heritage Site, of the Icelandic parliament before the 14th century

This article is about a site of the Icelandic parliament. For other uses, see Lögberg (disambiguation).

Lögberg (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlœɣˌpɛrk]), or Law Rock, was a rocky outcrop in south west Iceland, at the location for the assembly of the country's Althing parliament. The original Althing was gathered at Þingvellir,[1] an area of dramatic landscapes which was easily accessible from the populated areas of the south west.[2]

The exact location of the Lögberg is unknown, because of the changing geography of the rift valley over 1000 years.[3] Two possible locations have been identified in Þingvellir, one a flat ledge at the top of a slope named Hallurinn (currently marked by a flagpole), the other in the Almannagjá fault against a rock wall.[1] A site in the Hestagjá ravine has been put forward as ideal.[2]

The Lögberg was the place on which the Lawspeaker (lögsögumaður [ˈlœɣˌsœːɣʏˌmaːðʏr̥]) took his seat as the presiding official of the assembly of the Althing. Speeches and announcements were made from the spot.[3] Anyone attending could make their argument from the Lögberg. The gatherings were also convened and dissolved from it.[1]

The Lögberg performed its purpose from the formation of the parliament in 930. It ceased to be used in 1262, when Iceland took allegiance to Norway.[1]

  • 19th-century rendering of the Law Rock in Þingvellir
  • The site of the Law Rock in modern Þingvellir
  • Alþingi Lögberg aerial panorama, taken in June 2017
  • Detail view (2016)

References

  1. [1]
    "The Law Rock: Lögberg". Thingvellir.is. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  2. [2]
    Short, William R. (2010). Icelanders in the Viking Age: The People of the Sagas. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 23–24. ISBN 9780786456079.
  3. [3]
    Short, William R. (2010). Icelanders in the Viking Age: The People of the Sagas. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9780786456079.

64.2596°N 21.1227°W / 64.2596; -21.1227


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