Gullfoss

The Gullfoss [' kʏtl̥ fɔs ˌ ː ] ( Isl = gull gold, foss = waterfall ) is a waterfall of the river Hvítá ( Ölfusá ) in Haukadalur in southern Iceland.

The Hvítá forms the municipal boundary between Hrunamannahreppur and Bláskógabyggð.

Gullni hringurinn: Golden ring

The waterfall is one with Þingvellir and the geysers adjacent to the so-called Gullni hringurinn ( Golden Circle, dt literally: Golden Ring or Golden Round Trip ) of the most famous sights of Iceland.

Most important data

Its average water supply is about 109 m³ / s, in the summer about 130 m³ / s The largest flood was 2000 m³ / s

The waterfall roars over two stages (11 m and 21 m high). The two broad cascade to each other about a 90 ° angle. The water falls into a ravine up to broaden the valley is 2.5 km long from the waterfall and reaches a depth of 70 meters. The water of Hita and not least the glacier runs sometimes occurring have milled this canyon since the Ice Age 10,000 years ago by an average of 25 cm per year. Two glacier runs in the 20th century are known, in 1930 and 1948. In these, the gorge was entirely filled with water, so that the lower waterfall level including temporarily disappeared.

Sigríður Tómasdóttir and the rescue of the Gullfoss

The fact that there is still this waterfall, the use of Sigríður Tómasdóttir from the nearby farm Brattholt is due to that concerned in 1920 against the construction of a Elektriziätswerks at the waterfall. An English company had bought the waterfall that build a dam and wanted to gain electricity. At Sigríður that eventually prevailed with the help of a lawyer and later president of Iceland Sveinn Björnsson, the waterfall at the Icelandic State was reminded a billboard made ​​of stone near the waterfall.

A project from 1977, the 2444 gigawatt hours of electricity per year should deliver and three quarters of the amount of water had branched off, was also rejected.

The waterfall is still one of the Icelandic State and has since 1979 a nature reserve.

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