Austurvöllur

Austurvöllur is Reykjavík's central civic square, set directly in front of the Alþingi — Iceland's parliament, housed since 1881 in a compact Danish Neoclassical building of dark basalt. The square has long served as the city's political pressure valve: during the 2008–09 financial crisis, mass protests here — the so-called Pots and Pans Revolution — became so intense that they forced the government's resignation, a rare modern example of a square directly toppling a government. Today the surrounding streets, Vallarstræti and Pósthússtræti, are lined with cafés, restaurants, and bars that keep the space lively well into the evening. A statue of independence advocate Jón Sigurðsson stands at the center, overlooking a modest lawn that doubles as a relaxed urban green in summer.