Althing was founded at Þingvellir in 930 and is one of the world's oldest parliamentary institutions. During the Commonwealth period, representatives from across Iceland gathered there for lawmaking, legal judgments and political negotiation.
Parliamentary assemblies at Þingvellir ended in the late 18th century, and Althing was re-established in Reykjavík in 1845. Its history therefore connects both Þingvellir and Reykjavík and forms a central part of Iceland's political and independence history.