1. Tórshavn, Føroyar
(Faroe Islands)
September 2011

2. My foggy welcome to Føroyar

5. Tórshavn – Population 12,352 and capital of Faroe Islands

6. Stadium – 3 hours before the Italy-Faroes FIFA soccer
match. An astonishing match ending Italy 1, Faroes 0.

7. Western Harbor

8. Traðarmaðurin. Bronze
sculpture by Hans Pauli
Olsen, 1984

9. Many homes have traditional turf roofs

10. Havnarkirkja

12. Exploring Tinganes, the oldest section of Tórshavn

16. Lane leading to the Prime Minister’s office (2nd door on right)

21. Eastern Harbor

22. Early morning on Tinganes Peninsula – dividing the two harbors into east and west

23. Tinganes – oldest section of the city. Former warehouses and now home to the
Home Rule government of the Faroe Islands.

27. Løgting – Parliament
The first Viking þing (parliament) met
in Tórshavn in 1000 ce. However, the
Faroes came under Norwegian and
then Danish control for
centuries, starting in 1035. Denmark
imposed a trade monopoly from
1535 to 1856. With the fall of
Denmark to Nazi Germany and the
Allied occupation of the islands
during WW2, the Faroese
independence movement
grew, leading to more autonomy in
1948 as a self-governing nation
within the Kingdom of Denmark. This
Home Rule allowed the Faroes to opt
out of joining the EU when Denmark
became a founding member.

28. Saturday morning Red Cross flea market

31. Tutl – the record label and music store. A great place to listen to CD’s and discover the
musical genius of the Faroese – everything from folk to alternative to rock to pop.

32. A soccer-mad country

34. Viðarlundin – city park full of sculpture
Skyggen, bronze by Hans Pauli Olsen, 1987

36. Hans Pauli Olsen, 2000 bronze of
Faroese author William Heinesen’s
“elf girl Tarira”

39. Oldest street in
Tórshavn

40. View from Skansin Fort

42. Skansin Fort
Built in 1580 by merchant
Magnus Heinason to protect
Tórshavn from pirates. At the
time, pirates plied the North
Atlantic waters. Turkish pirates
attacked the south island of
Suðuroy in 1629. Skansin saw
action in 1677 during a raid on
Tórshavn by the French, and
again in 1808 when the British
HMS Clio attacked during the
Napoleonic Wars.
More recently, the fort was
used by the British during WW2
as the local headquarters of the
occupying Royal Navy.

44. Guns used by the British in World War II

46. Fríða, bronze and granite by Hans Pauli Olsen, 2004

53. Tórshavn’s annual marathon

56. Hoydalar – farm and walking paths in the middle of the city

58. National History Museum
An impressive collection
of Viking-era artifacts,
including a rune stone,
the precursor to the
written language of the
Norse.

59. View of Nolsoy Island from the museum

60. An open boat used by local sailors for fishing and whale-hunts
on the North Atlantic as recent as the 20th century.

61. Medieval national treasure of the Faroes – the
woodwork of Kirkjubøur, the Viking-era cathedral.
Dating from the 1400s. When the cathedral was
renovated in the 19th century, these pieces of
Faroese cultural heritage were sent to Denmark.
After years of asking for them back, Tórshavn finally
welcomed the Kirkjubøstólarnir home in 2002.

62. Madonna & Child, 1250
St. Judas Thaddeus pew end

64. Hoyvíksgarður – 19th century farm, now an open-air museum

65. Inside the 1920s farmhouse

67. Cowhouse and haybarn

68. Haybarn, where the
winter feed was stored
for the livestock.

71. Soccer and a horse pasture – everyday neighbors in Tórshavn

72. Tórshavn nightlife
Choices are limited, but weekends in Tórshavn are a city-wide party in cozy
pubs, where the action starts at midnight and continues to dawn. Weeknights
are more subdued – here Café Nátur draws a Wednesday crowd for quiz night.

73. Café Hvönn
A trendy café of French press
coffee, artistic desserts, and occasional
live music. Great for conversation with
new hostel friends Mike and Geoff.

74. A blues band heats up Café Hvönn

75. Hal at the Irish Pub.
A quiet place for cheap pub
meals on weekdays.
Transforms into a hive of
dancing and laughter on
weekends when a live folk
band performs.
I left the camera at the
hostel on the weekends, but
here I engaged in the most
fascinating conversations
with locals over half liters of
smooth, rich local beer
brewed in Klaksvík.

76. Even sheep itch….

78. Nordic House, 1983
Designed to merge with the landscape and host to concerts and cultural events

79. Inside the Nordic House

81. Gry knits in the Nordic House. If I lived in Tórshavn, this would be my favorite spot
to spend hours writing and reading.

84. Claire on my last photowalk of Tórshavn

85. Harbor storage shed for traditional Faroese rowing, a national sport. The open row
boats were once used for fishing, and are now raced in summer competitions.

86. Claire with a harbor
sculpture of a woman
washing fish.

91. My last moments in the Faroe Islands
A fish hatchery on the drive to the airport.