Proclamation of the Republic of Iceland
Description:
One of the unusual events associated with Geysir (the same geyser that gave the name to all geysers in the world). Geysir injects surface-active substances, after which it begins to work with unprecedented force. The spectacle gathers a lot of people.
This is the history of Iceland’s independence. Having existed since 930 as an independent state, in 1262 Iceland became a colony of Norway, and in 1380 - a possession of Denmark.
At the beginning of the XIX century, the ideas of the French Revolution spread in the countries of the Danish Kingdom, and the Icelanders began to seek political freedoms and local self-government. The national liberation movement was led by statesman Joun Sigurdsson (1811-1879), who also advocated the abolition of the Danish trade monopoly.
His efforts were successful. In 1843, the Althing was restored (the tradition of a congress in the week of “mid-summer” to the All-Icelandic Ting – a popular assembly where disputes were decided, judged and laws were issued), in 1854, the Danish trade monopoly was abolished, and in 1874 a constitution was adopted that gave Iceland limited autonomy.
However, Iceland's independence was not won until 1918, when it was recognized as a sovereign state in union with Denmark. In 1944, the union was dissolved, and June 17, the birthday of the leader of the Icelandic liberation movement Jon Sigurdsson (1811-1879), was declared the Day of the Proclamation of the Republic.