Sørvágur
Encyclopedia
Sørvágur is a village on the island of Vágoy
in the Faroe Islands
. It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður
. Sørvágur is the largest village in the municipality of Sørvágs Kommuna
.
As of today (2005) nobody has come up with at reasonable explanation to the origin of the name Sørvágur.
, Tjørnuvík
and Sandur
- is in one of the few places in the Faroe Islands where archeologist have been able to find substantial proof, that these places were built during the first 100–150 years after the Faroese Landnám
in 825.
Even though the village is old, there is no mention of it, or the island of Vágoy, in the old Faeringa Saga
from thirteenth century.
and further south between the rivers of Stórá
and Kirkjuá
. Historical records from 17th century show, that the original settlement alongside Hanusará was abandoned, and the village was moved firmly to the new location between the two main rivers in Sørvág. The main reason for this was probably that the weather conditions between the two rivers are far superior to other places in Sørvág.
The first written record regarding Sørvág is from 1584. The record shows that there were only three small farms in Sørvág at that time. This coincides very well with the fact, that the land belonging to Sørvág is divided into three parts: Suðurtriðingur, Norðurtriðingur and Úttriðingur.
From 15th century to the late 17th century the Norwegian
nobels Benkenstock owned all the land in Sørvág. Around 1665 a Dane - Severin Fohrman - bought all the land from the Benkenstock's and immediately started to sell it back to the locals. This meant that almost all the land in Sørvág is private property (óðalsjørð) instead of belonging to the king (kongsjørð).
Using the Land Books (jarðarbøkur) it is speculated, that the number of inhabitants in Sørvág in 17th century was around fifty. In the first census in the Faroes in 1801 the number of inhabitants in Sørvág had risen to a mere 86. In 1855 the number of inhabitants was 163. The reason for this slow progress is due to the special requirements for marriage, that were law in the Faroes. The law said, that in order to marry you would need to own land or have demonstrated that you were a faithful servant to someone who owned land. It was only the wealthy farmers who had a substantial amount of land, and therefore the birthrate in the Faroes was very low until this law was abolished.
During the feudal period, it was only the big farmers who had a fishing boat. The first person in the Faroes, who did not own any land, and got his own fishing boat, came from Sørvág. His name was Gamli Dávur.
During the Sloop period
Sørvágur had many sloop
s.
The church in Sørvágur is from 1886.
The first fish factory in the Faroe Islands was built in Sørvágur in 1952.
The locals from Sørvági formed a part of the backbone of fishermen, who went to Greenland
to fish. Faroese fishermen were instrumental in teaching the inhabitants of Greenland to do deepsea fishing.
Sørvágur was home to the British
Royal Engineers
, which lived Uppi á Mýrum. They built all the main infrastructure in Sørvágur including Vágar Airport
, the harbour in Sørvág, Niðaraveg (the main road to the harbour) and several bridges. To accomplish this they had to move entire houses to other locations.
See also:
Small and big rivers in Sørvág (note: rivers in the Faroe Islands may be considered a mere stream in other places):
Mountains surrounding Sørvág:
Valleys in and around Sørvág:
Major bays:
Other landmarks:
has been very dominant. In older times it was said, that the only thing necessary for survival in Sørvágur was that you had a fishing rod
and a pot to cook the fish. The fishing industry also plays a vital role in the industrial environment in Sørvágur today (2005). Today there is a modern fish factory producing mainly salt fish; a fish farm raising salmon
; one fish market; one major fish factory ship, which produces fish directly to the British
market; 6 smaller fishing trawlers and 50+ small fishing boats.
. These two colonials are the only two remaining in Sørvágur today (2005).
Norði Stovu handilin is better known under the name Hjá Valdemar and today it also contains a bakery.
At the harbour in Sørvágur lies a hardware store - Hjá Niclasen - which also used to form a part of the Niclasen concern. Also placed in the proximity of the harbour lies a Statoil
tank station which is run by the Niclasen concern. The tank station also includes a kiosk and grill.
Other shops in Sørvágur:
are present in Sørvági. There are two automatic teller machines in Sørvági. One is at Vágar Airport
and the other is at Eik Banki.
lies a hotel - Hotel Vágar. The hotel is a modern 3 star hotel.
During the summer tourist are able to make excursions in boats from Sørvágur http://blue-gate.info/client/index.asp. Tourists are also able to make excursions http://www.lakeside.fo/ on Sørvágsvatn
.
There is a local museum is in Sørvágur and a small art gallery http://www.galeries.dk/englishindex.html
. They compete mainly in football
and volleyball
. The football club of Sørvágur has merged with the club from other villages on the island into the football club 07 Vestur.
There has also been an association for Faroese rowing called SR
.
There used to be a chess club called Rókur, but it died out during the 1960s.
Brøðrasamkoman.
Vágar
Vágar is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the large islands. With a size of 178 km² , it ranks number three, behind Streymoy and Eysturoy....
in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
. It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður
Sørvágsfjørður
Sørvágsfjørður is a fjord on the west-side of the island Vágoy in the Faroe Islands which is approximately long.At the end of the fjord lies the village of Sørvágur. On the northside of the fjord lies the small village Bøur. On the southside of the fjord lies the picturesque Tindhólmur flanked by...
. Sørvágur is the largest village in the municipality of Sørvágs Kommuna
Sørvágs Kommuna
Sørvágs kommuna is the westernmost municipality in the Faroe Islands. It consists of the villages of Sørvágur, Bøur, Gásadalur and Mykines. Originally the municipality only included the village of Sørvágur, but on January 2005 the municipality of Sørvágur agreed to merge with the smaller...
.
Name
The name Sørvágur translates to "The Bay of Sør". While the first half of the name makes sense given the fact that the village is located at a bay, the second half is more mysterious. Legend has it that the first man to settle at this place was called 'Sørli' and hence the village was named in honour of him. Another explanation on the origin of 'Sør' comes from the old-Norse 'Seyr' which is a word for sand (seyr is also a word for foggy rain). Sørvágur has quite a large sandbeach in comparison with other Faroese villages and towns, and therefore it was speculated that the original name of Sørvágur was Seyrvágur, and during the course of time, Seyrvágur became Sørvágur. During the first half of the 20th century local people in Sørvágur tried to correct this historical injustice and used the name Seyrvágur instead of Sørvágur. However, this trend died out again. One reason may be that there is no proof in the Faroese historical records that justifies the name Seyrvágur.As of today (2005) nobody has come up with at reasonable explanation to the origin of the name Sørvágur.
First settlement
Sørvágur is considered to be one of the oldest villages in the Faroe Islands. In 1957 the locals decided to build a new school, and during the preparations to build the schools gymnastic hall they excavated an old Viking settlement. Sørvágur - alongside LeirvíkLeirvík
Leirvík is a town on the Faroe Islands and was an important regional ferry harbour at the east coast of the second largest island Eysturoy. Leirvík has 867 inhabitants...
, Tjørnuvík
Tjørnuvík
Tjørnuvík is the northernmost village on the Faroese island of Streymoy in the Sunda Kommuna municipality. The 2002 population was 64. Its postal code is FO 445. Its current church was built in 1937.-External links:*-See also:...
and Sandur
Sandur (Faroe Islands)
Sandur is a village on the south coast of the island of Sandoy in the Faroe Islands. The Sandur hoard, dating to the end of the 11th century, suggests the long history of the village. In January 2010 the population stood at 558....
- is in one of the few places in the Faroe Islands where archeologist have been able to find substantial proof, that these places were built during the first 100–150 years after the Faroese Landnám
Landnám
Landnám is old Norse which literally translates to taking land. It is used in the North Atlantic to describe the time when land and islands in this area were first populated.Landnám may refer to:* Landnámabók* Landnám of Iceland...
in 825.
Even though the village is old, there is no mention of it, or the island of Vágoy, in the old Faeringa Saga
Færeyinga Saga
The Færeyinga Saga , the Norse saga of Faroemen, is the story of how the Faroes were converted to Christianity and became a part of the Kingdom of Norway.-Summary:It was written in Iceland shortly after 1200...
from thirteenth century.
History
Between the years of 1200 and 1400 the village moved from its first settlements alongside the river HanusaráHanusará
Hanusará is a small river in the village of Sørvágur on the Faroe Islands. Hanusará translates to 'the river of Hanus'. Hanus is a Faroese male name, but it is unclear whom the river is named after....
and further south between the rivers of Stórá
Stórá
Stórá is a river which runs through the village of Sørvág in the Faroe Islands. The name Stórá translates to 'big river'.The river runs through the heart of the village separating the village in two parts. In older times the river could get very wide when the rain poured down . The Royal Engineers...
and Kirkjuá
Kirkjuá
Kirkjuá is a river which runs through the village of Sørvág in the Faroe Islands. The name Kirkjuá translates to 'Church river', and the name of the river comes from the fact, that it runs in proximity to the church in Sørvág....
. Historical records from 17th century show, that the original settlement alongside Hanusará was abandoned, and the village was moved firmly to the new location between the two main rivers in Sørvág. The main reason for this was probably that the weather conditions between the two rivers are far superior to other places in Sørvág.
The first written record regarding Sørvág is from 1584. The record shows that there were only three small farms in Sørvág at that time. This coincides very well with the fact, that the land belonging to Sørvág is divided into three parts: Suðurtriðingur, Norðurtriðingur and Úttriðingur.
From 15th century to the late 17th century the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
nobels Benkenstock owned all the land in Sørvág. Around 1665 a Dane - Severin Fohrman - bought all the land from the Benkenstock's and immediately started to sell it back to the locals. This meant that almost all the land in Sørvág is private property (óðalsjørð) instead of belonging to the king (kongsjørð).
Using the Land Books (jarðarbøkur) it is speculated, that the number of inhabitants in Sørvág in 17th century was around fifty. In the first census in the Faroes in 1801 the number of inhabitants in Sørvág had risen to a mere 86. In 1855 the number of inhabitants was 163. The reason for this slow progress is due to the special requirements for marriage, that were law in the Faroes. The law said, that in order to marry you would need to own land or have demonstrated that you were a faithful servant to someone who owned land. It was only the wealthy farmers who had a substantial amount of land, and therefore the birthrate in the Faroes was very low until this law was abolished.
During the feudal period, it was only the big farmers who had a fishing boat. The first person in the Faroes, who did not own any land, and got his own fishing boat, came from Sørvág. His name was Gamli Dávur.
During the Sloop period
Sloop period
The Sloop Period Slupptíðin is a period in Faroese history, where the Faroese society transformed from a feudal society to a semi-industrial society...
Sørvágur had many sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
s.
The church in Sørvágur is from 1886.
The first fish factory in the Faroe Islands was built in Sørvágur in 1952.
The locals from Sørvági formed a part of the backbone of fishermen, who went to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
to fish. Faroese fishermen were instrumental in teaching the inhabitants of Greenland to do deepsea fishing.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Sørvágur was home to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, which lived Uppi á Mýrum. They built all the main infrastructure in Sørvágur including Vágar Airport
Vágar Airport
Vágar Airport is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and is located east of Sørvágur. Due to the Faroe Islands' rather anomalous status, the airport is not fully subject to the rules of the European Union...
, the harbour in Sørvág, Niðaraveg (the main road to the harbour) and several bridges. To accomplish this they had to move entire houses to other locations.
Geography and landmarks
Districts (býlingar) in Sørvág:See also:
Small and big rivers in Sørvág (note: rivers in the Faroe Islands may be considered a mere stream in other places):
- BreiðáBreiðáBreiðá is a river on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands. The name Breiðá translates to 'the broad river'. It flows from the lake Vatnsdalsvatn into Sørvágsfjørð. It is the natural boundary between the villages of Sørvágur and Bø....
- TunguliðsáTunguliðsáTunguliðsá is a small river in the village Sørvágur on the Faroe Islands. It runs into another small river Hanusará....
- HanusaráHanusaráHanusará is a small river in the village of Sørvágur on the Faroe Islands. Hanusará translates to 'the river of Hanus'. Hanus is a Faroese male name, but it is unclear whom the river is named after....
- KirkjuáKirkjuáKirkjuá is a river which runs through the village of Sørvág in the Faroe Islands. The name Kirkjuá translates to 'Church river', and the name of the river comes from the fact, that it runs in proximity to the church in Sørvág....
- StóráStóráStórá is a river which runs through the village of Sørvág in the Faroe Islands. The name Stórá translates to 'big river'.The river runs through the heart of the village separating the village in two parts. In older times the river could get very wide when the rain poured down . The Royal Engineers...
- SkipáSkipáSkipá is the name of two rivers in the village of Sørvág in the Faroe Islands. The name Skipá translates to 'ship river'. Both rivers run in proximity to the harbour in Sørvág, and hence the name....
Mountains surrounding Sørvág:
- VørðufelliVørðufelliVørðufelli is a mountain overlooking the village Sørvágur on the Faroe Islands. Its height is 248 meter above sea level.The latter part of the name - felli - is Faroese for a small mountain. 'Vørða' is a phrase used by faroese regarding birdwatching...
- LíðarnøvaLíðarnøvaLíðarnøva is a mountain range above the village of Sørvágur on the Faroe islands. Norðurvarði is placed on top of the mountain....
- SkeiðinSkeiðinSkeiðin is a mountain above the village of Sørvágur in the Faroe Islands. It lies between the village itself and the bay of Selvík. On the top of the mountain is a radio transmitter....
- NónfjallNónfjallNónfjall is a 367 metre high mountain on the island Vágar in the Faroe Islands, the mountain is located south of the village of Sørvágur, near Vágar Airport and east of the mountain Høgafjall. The name Nónfjall translates to 'Noon mountain'. However, the Faroese use the word noon differently from...
- Høgafjall
- Bólafløttur
Valleys in and around Sørvág:
- HúsadalurHúsadalurHúsadalur is a small valley in the village of Sørvágur on the Faroe Islands. The name Húsadalur translates to 'the valley of the houses'. Today you will not find any houses in the valley, but the name suggests that people have lived there....
- KjóvadalurKjóvadalurKjóvadalur is a small valley in the village Sørvágur on the Faroe Islands. Its name translates to 'the valley of the Kjógvi'. Kjógvi is the faroese form for the bird Arctic Skua.The river Skipá runs through Kjóvadal. Above Kjóvadal lies the mountain Nónfjall....
Major bays:
- SelvíkSelvíkSelvík is a small bay on the southside of Sørvágsfirði. It is about one kilometer to the west of the village Sørvágur.In older times Selvík was home to a whaling station, where whales were slaughtered....
Other landmarks:
- Middagsvarði
- Vesturvarði
- Norðurvarði
- Seyðagarðar
Fishery
Sørvágur has always been a place where fisheryFishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
has been very dominant. In older times it was said, that the only thing necessary for survival in Sørvágur was that you had a fishing rod
Fishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
and a pot to cook the fish. The fishing industry also plays a vital role in the industrial environment in Sørvágur today (2005). Today there is a modern fish factory producing mainly salt fish; a fish farm raising salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
; one fish market; one major fish factory ship, which produces fish directly to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
market; 6 smaller fishing trawlers and 50+ small fishing boats.
Shops and colonials
After the Royal Monopoly trade over the Faroe Islands ended in 1856, everyone was able to start trading on their own. This led to an upsurge in colonial shops opening all over the place. In Sørvágur many colonials were started and one of the leading concerns on the Faroe Islands - Niclasen - was started in Sørvágur. During the transformation of the Faroese society from a feudal to a semi-industrial these concerns played a major role in ensuring labour to the common man. The main colonial in Sørvágur - Norði Stovu handilin - was originally started by the Niclasen concern. The other colonial - Løðuhandilin - was started by the rival concern in Sørvágur - RasmussenRasmussen
The surname Rasmussen is a Danish and Norwegian surname, meaning "Rasmus' son" . It is the ninth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 1.9% of the population....
. These two colonials are the only two remaining in Sørvágur today (2005).
Norði Stovu handilin is better known under the name Hjá Valdemar and today it also contains a bakery.
At the harbour in Sørvágur lies a hardware store - Hjá Niclasen - which also used to form a part of the Niclasen concern. Also placed in the proximity of the harbour lies a Statoil
Statoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
tank station which is run by the Niclasen concern. The tank station also includes a kiosk and grill.
Other shops in Sørvágur:
- Hjá Sannu - Childrenwear, lingerie and cosmetics.
- Gávubúðin Kurvin - Giftshop
- Sørvágs ursmiða - Optics
- Sørvágs skósøla - Shoestore
- Cafe 62°N - Cafe/grill (at Vagar AirportVágar AirportVágar Airport is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and is located east of Sørvágur. Due to the Faroe Islands' rather anomalous status, the airport is not fully subject to the rules of the European Union...
) - Gávubúðin Prýði - Giftshop (at Vagar AirportVágar AirportVágar Airport is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and is located east of Sørvágur. Due to the Faroe Islands' rather anomalous status, the airport is not fully subject to the rules of the European Union...
)
Banks
The faroese banks Føroya Banki and Eik BankiEik Banki
Eik Banki Føroya P/F is a financial services group in the Faroe Islands, which was previously one of the two major privately-owned banking firms based in the country. Established in 1832, the group, which also operated in mainland Denmark, encompassed retail, corporate and investment banking...
are present in Sørvági. There are two automatic teller machines in Sørvági. One is at Vágar Airport
Vágar Airport
Vágar Airport is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and is located east of Sørvágur. Due to the Faroe Islands' rather anomalous status, the airport is not fully subject to the rules of the European Union...
and the other is at Eik Banki.
Tourists
In close proximity to Vagar airportVágar Airport
Vágar Airport is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and is located east of Sørvágur. Due to the Faroe Islands' rather anomalous status, the airport is not fully subject to the rules of the European Union...
lies a hotel - Hotel Vágar. The hotel is a modern 3 star hotel.
During the summer tourist are able to make excursions in boats from Sørvágur http://blue-gate.info/client/index.asp. Tourists are also able to make excursions http://www.lakeside.fo/ on Sørvágsvatn
Sørvágsvatn
Sørvágsvatn is the biggest lake of the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the island of Vágar between the municipalities of Sørvágs Kommuna and Miðvágs kommuna...
.
There is a local museum is in Sørvágur and a small art gallery http://www.galeries.dk/englishindex.html
Other
- A blacksmith is located at the harbour
- Individual carpenters are present in Sørvágur
- Sørvágur was once the home village of various members of the ambient indie band Sepals In The Outer Whorl
Sport and other activities
Sport
The local sport association of Sørvágur is called SÍSÍ
SÍ is an abbreviation for Sørvágs Ítóttarfelag , a sports association in the Faroe Islands. It was founded March 17, 1905.-External links:*http://www.sis.fo Webpage for SÍ ....
. They compete mainly in football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The football club of Sørvágur has merged with the club from other villages on the island into the football club 07 Vestur.
There has also been an association for Faroese rowing called SR
Sørvágs Róðrarfelag
Sørvágs Róðrarfelag is an association for Faroese rowing in the village of Sørvágur. SR was founded May 15, 1956. SR has two boats, they are called Dúgvan and Súlan. The boats are white, they have blue gunwale and a red stripe all around it below the blue gunwale....
.
There used to be a chess club called Rókur, but it died out during the 1960s.
Religion
Religion plays a great role in the day to day life in Sørvági. There are two main buildings - apart from the church - housing two different religious direction: Libanon houses the Protestant Heimamissiónin and Kedron houses the Brethren/baptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Brøðrasamkoman.
Literature
- Sonni Jacobsen: Sørvágur og sørvingar. Sørvágur: Forlagið Ytstifjórðingur 1995-1996. (2 vol.)
- Abstract from vol. 1 (Faroese)
- Abstract from vol. 2 (Faroese)
External links
- http://www.faroeislands.dk/pages/SorvagurIndex.htm Images from Sørvágur
- http://www.sorvag.fo/ Official website for the municipality of Sørvágur (Faroese)
- http://www.sis.fo/ The Sport Association of Sørvágur (Faroese)
- http://www.kort.fo/website/sorkom/viewer.htm Online map of the municipality of Sørvág
- http://www.portal.fo/cam/webcam.php?kamera=92 Live web-cam from Sørvágur