The story
Hello, I am Avsha, and I am so glad you have joined me here today. Take a moment to look around. You are standing in the very heart of Reykjavik, a place called Austurvöllur.
On a rare sunny afternoon, this square transforms into the city’s favorite outdoor living room, filled with locals soaking up the rays and children playing on the grass. But today, I want to take you on a journey through time. I want you to look past the modern cafes and the groups of tourists, and instead, I want you to look down, deep into the dark soil beneath your feet.
This square is much more than a park; it is a massive, living historical archive. To your side, you will see the Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament building. It is a modest, dignified structure made of dark, hewn basalt that has stood its ground since 1881.
It houses one of the oldest parliaments in the world. Next to it sits the Dómkirkjan, the city’s cathedral. Together, they represent the pillars of Icelandic life: law and faith.
But long before these stones were laid, this entire area was a simple hayfield. In fact, the name Austurvöllur literally translates to East Field. For nearly a thousand years, this was the private property of the farm that started everything in Reykjavik.
Think back to the late ninth century. A Viking explorer named Ingólfur Arnarson arrived on these rugged shores. Tradition tells us he built his farm just a stone’s throw from where you are standing right now.
For centuries, this square was where the first settlers raised their cattle and harvested the grass they desperately needed to keep their animals alive through the long, punishing Arctic winters. When you walk across this lawn, you are walking over the echoes of the original Viking homestead. In 2001, during some routine construction just a few meters away, workers hit something solid and ancient.
It was the remains of a tenth-century longhouse, one of the oldest man-made structures ever found in Iceland. That discovery confirmed that the legends were true: people lived, worked, and survived right here over a millennium ago. In the center of the square stands the statue of Jón Sigurðsson, the hero of Iceland’s independence movement.
He watches over the parliament with a steady, watchful gaze. While this square began as a quiet farm, it evolved into the nation’s political stage. Every major protest and celebration in Icelandic history has happened on this patch of earth.
This is where the people come to be heard. So, as you continue your walk, remember that you aren't just standing on a lawn. You are standing on a thousand years of survival, from Viking turf to the foundations of a modern republic.
Take a deep breath, look at the soil, and feel the weight of history beneath your boots.