Pingvellir, Iceland

Þingvellir (Thingvellir) is the where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798. For two weeks every year, the assembly set laws - seen as a covenant between free men - and settled disputes. The Althing has deep historical and symbolic associations for the people of Iceland. The Althing was the first democratic assembly held in Europe since the ancient Greeks in Athens. It is interesting that the Icelandic people chose this geographic location. The backdrop to the meetings is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, created by the European and North American tectonic plates pulling apart from each other.