Austurvöllur is the heart of central Reykjavik — a small green square fronted by the parliament, the cathedral, and a row of cafes and bars under the trees. The statue at its centre is of Jón Sigurðsson, the nineteenth-century leader of the Icelandic independence movement.
The square doubles as the city's protest ground. During the 2008 financial crash, thousands gathered here banging pots and pans in the "Pots and Pans Revolution" that forced the government to resign. On a quieter day it is just a good spot to sit with a coffee.