Reykholt - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

There are two villages with this name in Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

Reykholt (Borgarfjörður, West Iceland)

The village is situated in the valley of the river Reykjadalsá, called Reykholtsdalur.

Here lived in the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

one of the most important persons in Icelandic history: Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...

. He was a famous poet and politician whose records of the Old Norse language and mythology

Norse mythology

Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...

of medieval Iceland are invaluable to modern scholars. He lived and died here. Remains of his farm and a bathroom with hot pot and a tunnel between the bath and the house can still be visited.

Reykholt was at this time one of the intellectual centers of the island and had for many years one of the most important schools of the country. Today, the village has 60 inhabitants, a school centre and a library concentrating on the works of Snorri Sturluson. A statue of Snorri by Gustav Vigeland

Gustav Vigeland

Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his productivity. He is most associated with Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo...

can be found here. Archeologists are still working here and finding medieval remains. In the vicinity, Japanese scientists are doing research on the wonders of the aurora borealis (the famous northern lights).

About 20 km from Reykholt, there are the lava waterfalls Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 meters out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull. The waterfalls pour into the Hvítá river from ledges of less...

, one of the most interesting natural wonders on the island. It is also possible to go from there to the caves Surtshellir
Surtshellir
Surtshellir is a lava cave located in western Iceland, around 60 km from the settlement of Borgarnes. Approximately a mile in length, it is the longest such cave in the country. While mentioned in the medieval historical-geographical work Landnámabók, Eggert Ólafsson was the first to give a...

in the lava field Hallmundarhraun (about 35 km).

On the way to Borgarnes

Borgarnes

Borgarnes is a town located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður in Iceland.It has a population of 1,763 . The town is located 60 km north of the capital Reykjavík and is connected to other places in Iceland through the second largest bridge in Iceland, Borgarfjarðarbrú...

, people pass by the hot springs of Deildartunguhver
Deildartunguhver
Deildartunguhver is a hotspring in Reykholtsdalur, Iceland. It is characterized by a very high flow rate for a hot spring and water emerges at 97 °C...

. They exceed all the other hot springs of the country in their output of hot water: 150 l/s at 97 °C.

Reykholt (Arnessysla)

This is a village in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð

Bláskógabyggð

Bláskógabyggð is a municipality located in western Iceland, and is situated fully inland.As of 1 January 2011, it had a total population of 935. The total area is 3,300 km². The major settlements are Reykholt, Laugarás and Laugarvatn....

with about 100 inhabitants with hot springs and greenhouses. It is situated in the south of Iceland not far from Skálholt

Skálholt

Skálholt is an historical site situated in the south of Iceland at the river Hvítá.-History:Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. From 1056 until 1785, it was one of Iceland's two episcopal sees, along with Hólar, making it a cultural and political...

, Geysir

Geysir

Geysir , sometimes known as The Great Geysir, was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans. The English word geyser derives from Geysir. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush", the verb from Old Norse...

and Gullfoss

Gullfoss

Gullfoss is a waterfall located in the canyon of Hvítá river in southwest Iceland.Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The wide Hvítá rushes southward...

External links

History of Reykholt/Borgarfjörður:

Hraunfossar/Surtshellir:

Deildartunguhver:

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