Memorial
A memorial to Sigríður Tómasdóttir. When tourists first came to Gullfoss in 1875, Sigríður and her sisters guided them and built the first trail down to the waterfall.
In 1907 there were plans to build a hydroelectric dam at Gullfoss. Sigríður and her family worked for years to prevent this from happening, plans only being truly officially cancelled in 1929. I’ll quote from the information panels nearby:
“Sigríður’s struggle for the waterfall was selfless and unique. She often worked around the clock to follow up her case, made long journeys along mountain roads, waded across great rivers throughout the year and had many meetings with government officials in Reykjavik. In view of this struggle, Sigríður has often been called Iceland’s first environmentalist.”
She died in 1957, aged 87. The memorial was put up in 1979.