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Tórshavn

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Tórshavn
170712 Torshavn Panorama.jpg
Is03196-Torshavn.jpg
Is03002-Torshavn.jpg
Havnar kirkja.jpg
Skansin2.jpg
Tórshavn.2009.7.jpg
Faroe Islands, Streymoy, Tórshavn (1).jpg
Nordens Hus pa Faeroerne.jpg
Tórshavn (2524929429 3f2e6fa628 o).jpg
Panoramic, Faeroese Parliament, Tinganes, Tórshavn Cathedral, Lighthouse, The old township, Central Tórshavn, The Nordic House, View of Tórshavn,
Flag of Tórshavn
Official seal of Tórshavn
Coat of arms of Tórshavn
Nickname: 
Havn
Tórshavn is located in Denmark Faroe Islands
Tórshavn
Tórshavn
Location in Faroe Islands on Streymoy
Tórshavn is located in North Atlantic
Tórshavn
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (North Atlantic)
Coordinates: 62°0′42″N 6°46′3″W / 62.01167°N 6.76750°W / 62.01167; -6.76750Coordinates: 62°0′42″N 6°46′3″W / 62.01167°N 6.76750°W / 62.01167; -6.76750
StateDanish Realm
Constituent CountryFaroe Islands
MunicipalityTórshavn Insigna.svg Tórshavn Municipality
Founded9th century
Town rights1909
Government
 • MayorHeðin Mortensen (Javnaðarflokkurin)
Elevation
24 m (79 ft)
Population
 (December 2022)[1]
 • City14,001
 • Urban
21,078[1]
 population-ranking: 1st
Postal code
FO-100, FO-110
ClimateCfc
Websitewww.torshavn.fo

Tórshavn (Faroese: [ˈtʰɔuʂhaun] (listen);lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the 347-meter-high (1,138 ft) mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the 350-meter-high (1,150 ft) Kirkjubøreyn. They are separated by the Sandá River. The city itself has a population of 14,001 (2022), and the greater urban area has a population of 21,078, including the suburbs of Hoyvik and Argir.

The Norse (Scandinavians) established their parliament on the Tinganes peninsula in AD 850.[2] Tórshavn thus became the capital of the Faroe Islands and has remained so ever since. Early on, Tórshavn became the centre of the islands' trade monopoly, thereby being the only legal place for the islanders to sell and buy goods. In 1856, the trade monopoly was abolished and the islands were left open to free trade.

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Literal translation

Literal translation

Literal translation, direct translation or word-for-word translation, is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence.

Thor

Thor

Thor is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and fertility. Besides Old Norse Þórr, the deity occurs in Old English as Þunor, in Old Frisian as Thuner, in Old Saxon as Thunar, and in Old High German as Donar, all ultimately stemming from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Þun(a)raz, meaning 'Thunder'.

Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands, or simply the Faroes, are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Streymoy

Streymoy

Streymoy is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also includes the islands of Hestur, Koltur and Nólsoy.

Húsareyn

Húsareyn

Húsareyn is a mountain located on the island of Streymoy. Standing at 345 metres (1,132 ft) above sea level, it is dwarfed by other Faroese mountains such as Slættaratindur.

Argir

Argir

Argir is a village in the Faroe Islands.

Norsemen

Norsemen

The Norsemen were a North Germanic ethnolinguistic group of the Early Middle Ages, during which they spoke the Old Norse language. The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the predecessor of the modern Germanic languages of Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a large-scale expansion in all directions, giving rise to the Viking Age. In English-language scholarship since the 19th century, Norse seafaring traders, settlers and warriors have commonly been referred to as Vikings. Historians of Anglo-Saxon England distinguish between Norse Vikings (Norsemen) from Norway who mainly invaded and occupied the islands north and north-west of Britain, Ireland and western Britain, and Danish Vikings, who principally invaded and occupied eastern Britain.

Tinganes

Tinganes

Tinganes is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri (government), and is a part of Tórshavn. The name means "parliament jetty" or "parliament point" in Faroese.

History

Early history

It is not known whether the site of Tórshavn was of interest to the Irish monks who were probably the first settlers in the Faroes. The Viking settlers in the 9th century established their own parliaments, called tings, in different parts of the islands, it being the tradition in each case to hold the ting at a neutral and thus uninhabited place, so no one location gave anyone an advantage. According to romantics, the main ting for the islands was convoked in Tórshavn in 825, on Tinganes,[3] the peninsula that divides the harbour into two parts: Eystaravág and Vestaravág.

The settlers would thus meet on the flat rocks of Tinganes every summer, as the most central place on the islands, although there was no settlement at Tinganes at that time. The Færeyinga Saga says: "the place of the ting of the Faroese was on Streymoy, and there is the harbour that is called Tórshavn". The Viking age ended in 1035. The ting was followed by a market which gradually grew into a permanent trading area.

All through the Middle Ages, the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn. It belonged to the outfield of two farmers. Unlike other Faroese villages, Tórshavn was never a distinct farming community. During the 12th century, all trade between Norway and the Faroes, along with other tributary islands to the west, became centralised in Bergen.

In 1271, a royal trade monopoly was established in Tórshavn by the Norwegian Crown. According to a document from 1271, two ships would sail regularly to Tórshavn from Bergen with cargoes of salt, timber and cereal. Tórshavn therefore had more contact with the outside world than did the other villages. Under the Norwegian, and then Danish rule, government officials made Tórshavn their home. All of these things, combined with the fact that Tórshavn was the seat of the ting of the islands, influenced the town's development.

1500–1800

Skansin fort has been rebuilt several times since it was first built in 1580. The current building dates back to 1790
Skansin fort has been rebuilt several times since it was first built in 1580. The current building dates back to 1790

Sources do not mention a built-up area in Tórshavn until after the Protestant reformation in 1539. In ca. 1580 a small fort, Skansin, was built by the Faroese naval hero and trader Magnus Heinason at the north end of the harbour. Later small fortifications were built at Tinganes.

In 1584 Tórshavn had 101 inhabitants. The population was divided into three equally large groups made up of farmers, their families and servants, trade and government officials and people who owned no land and therefore not much else; this included the landless proletariat from the villages that during this period came to Tórshavn in search of work. They were set to guard duty on Skansin without pay, and for clothing and food they depended on the bounty of the farmers.

In 1655 king Frederick III of Denmark granted the Faroe Islands to his favourite statesman Kristoffer Gabel, the rule of the von Gabel Family, 1655–1709, is known as Gablatíðin. It is the darkest chapter in the history of Tórshavn. Gabel's administration suppressed the islanders in various ways. The trade monopoly was in the family's hands and it was not designed for the needs of the Faroese people. People across the country brought products into town and had to be satisfied with whatever price they were given. At the same time imported goods were limited and expensive. There came considerable complaints from the islands' inhabitants of unjust treatment by the civil administration in Tórshavn. These not only included the persons in charge of the monopoly trade, but also the bailiff and others. It was during this period, in 1673, that Tinganes was ravaged by a fire after a store of gunpowder kept at Tinganes had blown up. Many old houses burnt to the ground and old Faroese records were lost as were Gabel's documents.

Conditions improved in Tórshavn when the trade monopoly became a royal monopoly in 1709. The Danish royal trade monopoly was supplied with goods from Copenhagen three times a year. However, in 1709 Tórshavn was hit by a plague of smallpox, killing nearly the entire population. The town had by this time reached a population of 300 and 250 of the inhabitants died. Still, it was during the latter half of the 18th century that Tórshavn started to develop into a small town. This was while Niels Ryberg was in charge of the trade monopoly. From 1768 and during the next 20 years onwards Ryberg was allowed to carry on an entrepot trade which was mainly based on smuggling to England. Because of the French-British conflict there was room for this kind of operation. In Tórshavn his warehouses filled up with goods. Ryberg was the first person who thought of making a financial profit from fishing, which later became the most important economic factor to the islands. He experimented with salted cod and herring but at this point in time nothing much beyond this happened.

Tórshavn Cathedral was first built in 1788 and partly rebuilt in 1865. Since 1990, it has been the seat of the Bishop of the Faroe Islands (in the Church of the Faroe Islands).

1800–present

Tórshavn in 1839, by Barthélemy Lauvergne
Tórshavn in 1839, by Barthélemy Lauvergne

On 30 March 1808, during the Anglo-Danish Gunboat War, the Cruizer-class brig-sloop HMS Clio entered Tórshavn and briefly captured the fort at Skansin. The fort surrendered without firing a shot as the landing party approached. The Clio's men spiked the fort's eight 18-pounder guns and took all the smaller guns and weapons before leaving. Shortly after 6 May a German privateer who had assumed the name "Baron von Hompesch" plundered the defenceless city and seized the property of the Danish Crown Monopoly. The Admiralty Prize Court, however, refused to condemn it as a lawful prize.

Tórshavn in 1864, the Løgting (parliament) is at top left
Tórshavn in 1864, the Løgting (parliament) is at top left

In 1856, free trade came to the Faroe Islands. By opening the islands to the world, it transformed the economy, with Tórshavn at its centre. [4]

In 1866, Tórshavn's town council was founded. The town has been the capital of the Faroe Islands ever since. Later, in 1909, Tórshavn became a market town with the same municipal charter as Danish market towns. In 1913, the Danish Folketing granted DKK 810,000 to construction of a harbour in Tórshavn. Local waves are 3 m (9.8 ft), the waters are icefree and have a tidal variation of 0.3 m (1 ft 0 in), and storms from the west are mitigated by the gentle eastwards slope of the mountains. Other harbours were also benefitted with an 80% grant to a total build cost of DKK 1.6 million.[5] In 1927, Tórshavn had a modern harbour built. This made it possible for larger ships to berth.[6]

During the British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II, Skansin was used as the headquarters of the Royal Navy Command, and two 5.5-inch guns used aboard HMS Furious before World War II were deployed.[7]

In 1974, the neighbouring villages Hoyvík and Hvítanes were made part of the town area. Later, even more municipalities joined the Tórshavn municipality. In 1978 Kaldbak, in 1997 Argir, in 2001 Kollafjørður, and finally in 2005, Kirkjubøur, Hestur, and Nólsoy.

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History of the Faroe Islands

History of the Faroe Islands

The early details of the history of the Faroe Islands are unclear. It is possible that Brendan, an Irish monk, sailed past the islands during his North Atlantic voyage in the 6th century. He saw an 'Island of Sheep' and a 'Paradise of Birds,' which some say could be the Faroes with its dense bird population and sheep. This does suggest however that other sailors had got there before him, to bring the sheep. Norsemen settled the Faroe Islands in the 9th century or 10th century. The islands were officially converted to Christianity around the year 1000, and became a part of the Kingdom of Norway in 1035. Norwegian rule on the islands continued until 1380, when the islands became part of the dual Denmark–Norway kingdom, under king Olaf II of Denmark.

Peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all continents. The size of a peninsula can range from tiny to very large. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Peninsulas form due to a variety of causes.

Middle Ages

Middle Ages

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

Bergen

Bergen

Bergen, historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. As of 2021, its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers 465 square kilometres (180 sq mi) and is on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on Byfjorden, 'the city fjord', and the city is surrounded by mountains; Bergen is known as the "city of seven mountains". Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands. Bergen is the administrative centre of Vestland county. The city consists of eight boroughs: Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Årstad, and Åsane.

Magnus Heinason

Magnus Heinason

Magnus Heinason was a Faroese naval hero, trader and privateer.

Frederick III of Denmark

Frederick III of Denmark

Frederick III was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, and the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (1635–45).

Bailiff

Bailiff

A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offices and duties vary greatly.

Danish Royal Trade Monopoly in the Faroe Islands

Danish Royal Trade Monopoly in the Faroe Islands

The Danish royal trade monopoly, referred to in Faroese as kongligi einahandilin and in Danish as Kongelige Færøske Handel, oversaw all trade between the Faroe Islands and other regions from 1709 to 1856.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of around 1.4 million in the urban area, and more than 2 million in the wider Copenhagen metropolitan area. The city is on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the Øresund strait. The Øresund Bridge connects the two cities by rail and road.

Church of the Faroe Islands

Church of the Faroe Islands

The Church of the Faroe Islands is one of the smallest state churches in the world. Prior to becoming independent on 29 July 2007, it was a diocese of the Church of Denmark, a Lutheran church. As of 2019, 79.7% of the Faroe Islanders belonged to the state church.

Gunboat War

Gunboat War

The Gunboat War was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the materially superior Royal Navy. In Scandinavia it is seen as the later stage of the English Wars, whose commencement is accounted as the First Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.

Cruizer-class brig-sloop

Cruizer-class brig-sloop

The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging. A ship-sloop was rigged with three masts whereas a brig-sloop was rigged as a brig with only a fore mast and a main mast.

Climate

Tórshavn Harbour Ferry Terminal, view towards Tinganes and 'Vesturbýur' The Western Town
Tórshavn Harbour Ferry Terminal, view towards Tinganes and 'Vesturbýur' The Western Town

Tórshavn features a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), with strong moderation from the Atlantic Ocean's Norwegian Current. In winter, Tórshavn tends to be under direct influence of the Icelandic Low, which usually brings overcast and stormy weather to the Faroe Islands. Because of its cloudiness and the ice-free water surrounding Tórshavn, its winter temperatures are exceptionally mild for such a northerly location, with winter daytime temperatures usually oscillating around 6 °C (43 °F). However, summer temperatures are much lower than those found in continental Scandinavia on similar latitudes, and barely exceed 13 °C (55 °F) in the warmest month. The moderation also causes the extremes amplitude to be very low: in the period from 1961 to 2021, it was a mere 33 °C (59 °F) between the absolute warmest and coldest temperatures. Temperatures below freezing may occur in any non-summer month, but even in winter, the average daily lows stay well above 0 °C (32 °F).

Average monthly precipitation is highest in autumn and winter, peaking in January, due to the activity of the Icelandic Low. May, June and July, on the other hand, are markedly drier but still receive substantial rainfall.

Climate data for Tórshavn (1991–2020, extremes 1961–2021)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.6
(52.9)
13.0
(55.4)
12.3
(54.1)
18.3
(64.9)
19.7
(67.5)
20.0
(68.0)
20.2
(68.4)
22.0
(71.6)
19.5
(67.1)
16.3
(61.3)
14.7
(58.5)
13.2
(55.8)
22.0
(71.6)
Average high °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2)
6.0
(42.8)
6.4
(43.5)
7.6
(45.7)
9.3
(48.7)
11.3
(52.3)
12.9
(55.2)
13.3
(55.9)
11.9
(53.4)
9.6
(49.3)
7.6
(45.7)
6.5
(43.7)
9.0
(48.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.3
(39.7)
4.0
(39.2)
4.3
(39.7)
5.4
(41.7)
7.1
(44.8)
9.1
(48.4)
10.7
(51.3)
11.1
(52.0)
10.0
(50.0)
7.8
(46.0)
5.8
(42.4)
4.5
(40.1)
7.0
(44.6)
Average low °C (°F) 2.1
(35.8)
1.6
(34.9)
2.1
(35.8)
3.2
(37.8)
5.0
(41.0)
7.3
(45.1)
9.1
(48.4)
9.3
(48.7)
8.1
(46.6)
5.7
(42.3)
3.6
(38.5)
2.2
(36.0)
4.9
(40.8)
Record low °C (°F) −8.8
(16.2)
−11.0
(12.2)
−9.2
(15.4)
−9.9
(14.2)
−3.0
(26.6)
0.0
(32.0)
1.5
(34.7)
1.5
(34.7)
−0.6
(30.9)
−4.5
(23.9)
−7.2
(19.0)
−10.5
(13.1)
−11.0
(12.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 164.5
(6.48)
128.1
(5.04)
127.8
(5.03)
91.2
(3.59)
68.4
(2.69)
62.3
(2.45)
70.1
(2.76)
91.8
(3.61)
116.3
(4.58)
145.0
(5.71)
151.8
(5.98)
154.4
(6.08)
1,359.5
(53.52)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 26 23 26 22 19 18 19 20 23 26 26 27 273
Average snowy days 8.3 6.6 8.0 4.4 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.4 5.5 8.2 44.0
Average relative humidity (%) 89 88 88 87 87 88 89 90 89 89 88 89 88
Mean monthly sunshine hours 14.5 36.7 72.8 108.6 137.8 128.6 103.6 100.9 82.7 53.4 21.1 7.8 868.2
Source: Danish Meteorological Institute (humidity 1961–1990, precipitation days 1961–1990, snowy days 1961–1990),[9][8] infoclimat.fr[10] (record high)

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Tinganes

Tinganes

Tinganes is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri (government), and is a part of Tórshavn. The name means "parliament jetty" or "parliament point" in Faroese.

Köppen climate classification

Köppen climate classification

The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notably in 1918 and 1936. Later, German climatologist Rudolf Geiger (1894–1981) introduced some changes to the classification system, which is thus sometimes called the Köppen–Geiger climate classification.

Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about 106,460,000 km2 (41,100,000 sq mi). It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe, and Asia from the "New World" of the Americas in the European perception of the World.

Norwegian Current

Norwegian Current

The Norwegian Current is one of two dominant arctic inflows of water. It can be traced from near Shetland, north of Scotland, otherwise from the eastern North Sea at depths of up to 100 metres. It finally passes the Opening into the Barents Sea, a large outcrop of the Arctic Ocean. Compared to its partial source the North Atlantic Current it is colder and less salty; the other sources are the less saline North and Baltic seas and the Norwegian fjords and rivers. It is considerably warmer and saltier than the Arctic Ocean, which is freshened by precipitation and ice in and around it. Winter temperatures in the flow are typically between 2 and 5 °C — the co-parent North Atlantic flow, a heat remnant of its Gulf Stream chief contributor, exceeds 6 °C.

Icelandic Low

Icelandic Low

The Icelandic Low is a semi-permanent centre of low atmospheric pressure found between Iceland and southern Greenland and extending in the Northern Hemisphere winter into the Barents Sea. In the summer, it weakens and splits into two centres, one near Davis Strait, Labrador, and the other west of Iceland. It is a principal centre of action in the atmosphere circulation of the Northern Hemisphere, associated with frequent cyclone activity. It forms one pole of the North Atlantic oscillation, the other being the Azores High.

Precipitation

Precipitation

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor, so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or falls. Thus, fog and mist are not precipitation but colloids, because the water vapor does not condense sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called showers.

Sunshine duration

Sunshine duration

Sunshine duration or sunshine hours is a climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period for a given location on Earth, typically expressed as an averaged value over several years. It is a general indicator of cloudiness of a location, and thus differs from insolation, which measures the total energy delivered by sunlight over a given period.

Danish Meteorological Institute

Danish Meteorological Institute

The Danish Meteorological Institute is the official Danish meteorological institute, administrated by the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate. It makes weather forecasts and observations for Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.

Politics and government

Tórshavn is the capital of the Faroe Islands, and as such is the seat of the Faroes’ self rule government. The government holds the executive power in local government affairs. Today a part of the government is located on the Tinganes peninsula of Tórshavn. The Prime Minister's office is there and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was also there until it was closed in 2013. The other ministries are located in other office buildings in various places in Tórshavn, i.e. the Ministry of Health[11] and the Ministry of Social Affairs[12] are located near the Hospital of the Faroes in Eirargarður, and the Ministry of Finance is located in Argir in a building called Albert Hall on the street Kvíggjartún.[13] The parliament, the Løgting, which was originally located on Tinganes, was relocated to the town square, Vaglið, in 1856.

Mayors of Tórshavn

Mayor (Party) Term
1. Poul Michelsen (A) 1980-1991
2. Lisbeth L. Petersen (B) 1991-1997
3. Leivur Hansen (E) 1997-2001
4. Jan Christiansen (A) 2001-2005
5. Heðin Mortensen (C) 2005-2016
6. Annika Olsen (A) 2016-2020
7. Heðin Mortensen (C) 2020-

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Cabinet of the Faroe Islands

Cabinet of the Faroe Islands

The Cabinet of the Faroe Islands has been the chief executive body and the government of the Faroe Islands since the islands became self-governing in 1948. The cabinet is led by the prime minister (løgmaður). There are around seven members of the Cabinet, known as "ministers", all of whom are also heads of specific government ministries. The ministers are appointed by the prime minister. The Faroese government currently consists of seven ministers including the prime minister.

Tinganes

Tinganes

Tinganes is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri (government), and is a part of Tórshavn. The name means "parliament jetty" or "parliament point" in Faroese.

Argir

Argir

Argir is a village in the Faroe Islands.

Løgting

Løgting

The Løgting is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm.

Poul Michelsen

Poul Michelsen

Poul Johan Sundberg Michelsen is a Faroese business man and former politician. He was the leader of Progress (Framsókn), which he and others established in 2011. Before the establishment of Progress, he was a member of People's Party (Fólkaflokkurin). In March 2020 he chose to leave the Parliament and ending his political career after struggling with sequelae of a stroke for some months.

People's Party (Faroe Islands)

People's Party (Faroe Islands)

The Faroese People's Party – Radical Self-Government is a pro-Faroese independence conservative and conservative-liberal political party on the Faroe Islands led by Beinir Johannesen. One of the four major parties, it has had eight seats in the Løgting since the 2019 election, making it the joint-largest party, but it has neither of the Faroes' seats in the Folketing.

Lisbeth L. Petersen

Lisbeth L. Petersen

Lisbeth Beate Lindenskov Petersen is a former Faroese politician in the Faroese Union Party. She was one of the first women to reach a top position in Faroese politics. Petersen served as mayor of the capital, Tórshavn, from 1992 to 1996 and was the first female mayor of Tórshavn. She was a member of the Faroese Parliament from 1990 to 2008, she was the first Faroese woman who was elected to the Danish Parliament, she was a member of the Danish Parliament from 2001 to 2005. From 2001 to 2004 she was parliamentary leader and head of her party.

Union Party (Faroe Islands)

Union Party (Faroe Islands)

The Union Party is a conservative-liberal, agrarian political party on the Faroe Islands. The party wants to maintain the Faroe Islands' union with Denmark. On 24 October 2015 Bárður á Steig Nielsen succeeded Kaj Leo Johannesen as party leader.

Republic (Faroe Islands)

Republic (Faroe Islands)

Republic, formerly known as the Republican Party is a left-wing political party on the Faroe Islands committed to Faroese independence.

Heðin Mortensen

Heðin Mortensen

Heðin Mortensen is a Faroese politician member of the Social Democratic Party. He is the current mayor of the Municipality of Tórshavn since 1 January 2021. He was also mayor from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2016.

Social Democratic Party (Faroe Islands)

Social Democratic Party (Faroe Islands)

The Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party on the Faroe Islands, led by Aksel V. Johannesen.

Annika Olsen

Annika Olsen

Annika Olsen is a Faroese politician, high school teacher and former swimmer. She was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs in the Faroe Islands (2011–15) and Minister of Internal Affairs from 2008 to 2011 representing the People's Party. Before that she was a member of the City Council of Tórshavn from 2004 to 2008. Annika Olsen has an MA in Nordic languages and literature with a supplementary subject in religion. She is the daughter of Jákup Olsen, a businessman, former politician and former headmaster of Vágur's School and Marna Olsen, born Holm, a retired teacher.

Sport

A boat race at the Jóansøka Festival in Tvøroyri in June 2011.
A boat race at the Jóansøka Festival in Tvøroyri in June 2011.

Tórshavn, as the capital city, is the centre of sport in the islands; the largest sports centre is located in the Gundadalur district of Tórshavn. Also, the largest football stadium, Tórsvøllur, is located here, seating 6,000 spectators. The stadium serves as home to the Faroe Islands national football team. Around the city there are also two other football pitches, indoor tennis courts, badminton courts and a swimming pool.

The city has several football clubs, including three Premier League teams: HB Tórshavn, B36 Tórshavn and Argja Bóltfelag. Other football clubs with connections to the city are FF Giza (Nólsoy), FC Hoyvík and Undrið FF. Handball is the second most popular sport in Tórshavn. The city's handball teams are Kyndil, Neistin and Ítróttafelagið H71 and the Faroe Island's national handball team practice in the city. Tórshavn city has several popular rowing clubs, including, Havnar Róðrarfelag and Róðrarfelagið Knørrur.[14]

Every year in July the Tour of Faroe Islands, which is a road bicycle race, is held around the islands. The race is called Kring Føroyar (Tour de Faroe / Around the Faroes), it starts in Klaksvík and ends in Tórshavn.[15]

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Faroe Islands national football team

Faroe Islands national football team

The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is governed by the Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF). The FSF became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and represents the fourth-smallest UEFA country by population.

Gundadalur

Gundadalur

Gundadalur is the name of an area in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. It is home to three different football pitches and other sports facilities. The largest one is the national stadium Tórsvøllur, a multi-use stadium.

Faroe Islands Premier League

Faroe Islands Premier League

The Faroe Islands Premier League is the top level of football in the Faroe Islands. It was founded in 1942 as Meistaradeildin, and it is played in current format since 2005, when Premier League replaced 1. deild as the country's top football division. The league is organised by the Faroe Islands Football Association.

B36 Tórshavn

B36 Tórshavn

B36 Tórshavn is a Faroese semi professional football club based in the capital of Tórshavn, playing in the Faroe Islands Premier League, the top tier of Faroese football. B36 Tórshavn has always played its home games in Gundadalur. Originally all Faroese football teams played on gravel grounds, but starting in the late 1980s the grounds were changed into second generation artificial turf. All the artificial pitches have been changed into third generation artificial turf, approved by FIFA.

Argja Bóltfelag

Argja Bóltfelag

Argja Bóltfelag is a Professional Faroese football club based in Argir. They were playing their 2020 third season in the Faroe Islands Premier League, after being promoted from 1. deild after playing there for 1 season in 2017. After the 2020 season the ended as 9th and played a match against B68 Toftir from 1. deild, the winner would play in the Faroe Islands Premier League for the 2021 season. AB Argir lost the match 2-3 and were relegated to 1. deild. They play their home games at the Inni í Vika Stadium in Argir.

FF Giza

FF Giza

Fótbóltsfelagið Giza, commonly known as FF Giza, was a Faroese football club from Tórshavn.

Nólsoy

Nólsoy

Nólsoy is an island and village in central Faroe Islands, 4 km east of the capital Tórshavn in Streymoy.

FC Hoyvík

FC Hoyvík

FC Hoyvík was a Faroese football club, which merged with FF Giza in 2012. The new club was called Giza Hoyvík and later changed its name to FC Hoyvík. This incarnation of FC Hoyvík was previously named ÍF Fram Tórshavn and was located in the Hoyvík district, a suburb of the capital Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.

Kyndil

Kyndil

Kyndil is a Faroese handball club in Tórshavn, which was founded on 10 March 1956. Kyndil has team in the best divisions for both men and women, the club has also children's teams for boys and girls. The men's team of Kyndil has won the Faroese Championships 30 times in the Atlantic Airways Division, which makes it the club with the most national championship titles for men in Europe except for the Czech club Dukla Praha, which won its national championship 31 times. The women's team have won the Farose championships 8 times in the Electron-division.

Neistin

Neistin

Neistin is a Faroese handball club in Tórshavn, which was founded on 21 March 1931. Neistin has many different teams for men and women, boys and girls. They have teams in the men's best division, FTZ deildin. Neistin has also a team in the women's best division, Hvonn deildin. In April 2011 both men and women won the best divisions in Faroese handball and became Faroese champions. It was the first time in 33 years that both teams of Neistin won the Faroese championship.

Faroe Islands men's national handball team

Faroe Islands men's national handball team

The Faroe Islands national handball team is the national handball team of Faroe Islands and is controlled by the Handball Federation of the Faroe Islands.

Havnar Róðrarfelag

Havnar Róðrarfelag

Havnar Róðrarfelag is a Faroese rowing club in Tórshavn. Havnar Róðrarfelag was founded on 25 June 1932. The club is the most winning Faroese rowing club since 1973, and has won 61 Faroese championships, Argja Róðrarfelag comes second with 22 championships. The boats participate in the rowing competitions which are held around the islands in June and July, starting with Norðoyastevna in Klaksvík and ending with the final boat race at Ólavsøka in Tórshavn.

Music

The Tórshavn Jazz Festival has been held annually since 1983. It attracts musicians from all over North America and Europe and has become a popular tourist event.

Transport

A map of Tórshavn showing road links
A map of Tórshavn showing road links

The harbour is served by the Smyril Line international ferry service to Denmark and Iceland. The harbour is also used by domestic ferry services of Strandfaraskip Landsins within the Faroe Islands, chiefly on the route to Tvøroyri.

The town is served by Bussleiðin – a network of local buses, with the service identified by its red livery. Bussleiðin has five routes and is operated under contract by Gundurs Bussar P/F. Buses within Tórshavn have been completely free of charge since 2007. In addition, there is a helipad by the coast.

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Transport in the Faroe Islands

Transport in the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands is served by an internal transport system based on roads, ferries, and helicopters. As of the 1970s, the majority of the population centres of the Faroe Islands have been joined to a single road network, connected by bridges and tunnels.

Smyril Line

Smyril Line

Smyril Line is a Faroese shipping company, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland. It previously also served Norway and the United Kingdom. Smyril is the Faroese word for the merlin.

Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Nordic constituent country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Metropolitan Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying south-west and south of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany, with which it shares a short land border, its only land border.

Iceland

Iceland

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the population. Iceland is the largest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

Strandfaraskip Landsins

Strandfaraskip Landsins

Strandfaraskip Landsins is the government agency for public transport in the Faroe Islands. It is owned by the Faroese national government under the Ministry of Finance (Fíggjamálaráðið) and runs eight ferry routes and a number of bus routes.

Tvøroyri

Tvøroyri

Tvøroyri is a village on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy island in the Faroe Islands. Together with Froðba, Trongisvágur, Líðin and Øravík it forms Tvøroyri Municipality.

Sites of interest

Tórshavn Cathedral and Bryggjubakki street (left) and Undir Bryggjubakka street (right) at the centre of the city
Tórshavn Cathedral and Bryggjubakki street (left) and Undir Bryggjubakka street (right) at the centre of the city
Listasavn Føroya on a national stamp, 1995.
Listasavn Føroya on a national stamp, 1995.
  • Tinganes, the old part of town, is still made up of small wooden houses covered with turf roofs. The oldest one dates back 500 years.
  • Tórshavn Cathedral, the second oldest church in the country.
  • Tórshavn harbour.
  • Fort Skansin, a historic site dating back to the sixteenth century
  • Listasavn Føroya, the Faroese art museum.
  • The main church, Vesturkirkjan, with outside art work by Hans Pauli Olsen.
  • The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands, the most important cultural institution in the Faroes.
  • The historical museum in Hoyvík, with all its treasures.
  • The museum of Natural History, with a small botanical garden with 150 Faroese plants.
  • Niels Finsens gøta, Tórshavn's only pedestrianised street.

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Institutions in Tórshavn

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Notable natives and inhabitants

The writers William Heinesen and Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen, 1918 (both at the age of 18)
The writers William Heinesen and Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen, 1918 (both at the age of 18)

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Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen

Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen

Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen was a Faroese writer. He has a distinct place in Scandinavian literature, as he is the only Faroese writer to achieve international best-seller status. This status derives from his sole novel, Barbara: Roman, which has the added cachet of being one of the few Scandinavian novels to be translated twice into English within the space of fifty years. The novel was translated into five other languages shortly after the first edition in the Danish language. It was also adapted as a motion picture directed by Nils Malmros in 1997.

Niels Ryberg Finsen

Niels Ryberg Finsen

Niels Ryberg Finsen was a Faroese-Icelandic physician and scientist. In 1903, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology "in recognition of his contribution to the treatment of diseases, especially lupus vulgaris, with concentrated light radiation, whereby he has opened a new avenue for medical science."

Daniel Jacob Danielsen

Daniel Jacob Danielsen

Daniel Jacob Danielsen was a Faroese missionary and humanitarian worker.

Janus Djurhuus

Janus Djurhuus

Jens Hendrik Oliver Djurhuus, called Janus Djurhuus, was the first modern Faroese poet. He and his younger brother Hans Andreas Djurhuus, also a poet, are called the Áarstova brothers after the house where they grew up.

Andrea Árting

Andrea Árting

Andrea Súsanna Árting née Rasmussen (1891–1988) was a Faroese politician and trade union leader. A supporter of self-government, she is remembered as one of the most active figures in the labour movement, heading the Havnar Arbejðskvinnufelag for almost 40 years.

Høgni Reistrup

Høgni Reistrup

Høgni Reistrup is a Faroese singer, musician, writer and scientist from Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. He is the co-writer of the book Exit Føroyar ; he wrote it together with Heri á Rógvi. The books was published in 2012 and created a major debate in the Faroe Islands and in Denmark about the problems the Faroe Islands were facing with population decline in the islands, where the biggest problems seemed to be that half of the young people who moved away to study abroad never moved back again; especially the women did not move back again. After a period of six years with negative net migration in the Faroe Islands, the country saw an increase in the population in 2014 and 2015.

Ingálvur av Reyni

Ingálvur av Reyni

Ingálvur av Reyni was the most celebrated painter of the Faroe Islands during the last years.

Janus Kamban

Janus Kamban

Janus Kamban was a Faroese sculptor and last living representative from the "first generation" of professional artists in the Faroe Islands.

Lisbeth L. Petersen

Lisbeth L. Petersen

Lisbeth Beate Lindenskov Petersen is a former Faroese politician in the Faroese Union Party. She was one of the first women to reach a top position in Faroese politics. Petersen served as mayor of the capital, Tórshavn, from 1992 to 1996 and was the first female mayor of Tórshavn. She was a member of the Faroese Parliament from 1990 to 2008, she was the first Faroese woman who was elected to the Danish Parliament, she was a member of the Danish Parliament from 2001 to 2005. From 2001 to 2004 she was parliamentary leader and head of her party.

Guðrið Helmsdal

Guðrið Helmsdal

Guðrið Helmsdal Nielsen is a Faroese poet. Born as Guðrið Helmsdal Poulsen, she added her husband's surname when she married. She writes as Guðrið Helmsdal.

Katrin Ottarsdóttir

Katrin Ottarsdóttir

Katrin Ottarsdóttir is a Faroese movie director and author.

Carl Jóhan Jensen

Carl Jóhan Jensen

Carl Jóhan Jensen is a Faroese writer, poet and literary critic. His books have five times been nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1991, 1998, 2007, 2008 and 2016. In 1989 and 2006 he received the M. A. Jacobsen's Cultural Prize from Tórshavn City Council

Gallery

Twin cities

Tórshavn is twinned with:

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List of twin towns and sister cities in the Faroe Islands

List of twin towns and sister cities in the Faroe Islands

This is a list of places in Faroe Islands having standing links to local communities in other countries. In most cases, the association, especially when formalised by local government, is known as "town twinning", and while most of the places included are towns, the list also comprises villages, cities, districts, counties, etc. with similar links.

Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Nordic constituent country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Metropolitan Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying south-west and south of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany, with which it shares a short land border, its only land border.

Esbjerg

Esbjerg

Esbjerg is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is 71 kilometres (44 mi) west of Kolding and 164 kilometres (102 mi) southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 it is the fifth-largest city in Denmark, and the largest in West Jutland.

Birkerød

Birkerød

Birkerød is a town in Rudersdal Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is surrounded by several lakes and small woodlands. Birkerød station is located on the Hillerød radial of the S-train suburban network.

Asker

Asker

Asker, properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken in Viken county, together with the traditional Buskerud districts Røyken and Hurum; Asker proper constitutes the northern fourth and is part of the Greater Oslo Region. The administrative centre was the town of Asker, which remains so for the new larger municipality. Asker was established as a parish in the Middle Ages and as a municipality on 1 January 1838.

Iceland

Iceland

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 36% of the population. Iceland is the largest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

Garðabær

Garðabær

Garðabær is a municipality in the Capital Region of Iceland.

Finland

Finland

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, across from Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Jakobstad

Jakobstad

Jakobstad is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of 19,096 and covers a land area of 88.31 km2 (34.10 sq mi). The population density is 216.24/km2 (560.1/sq mi). Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The city of Vaasa is located 98 km (61 mi) southwest of Jakobstad.

Mariehamn

Mariehamn

Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. It is mostly surrounded by Jomala, the second largest municipality in Åland in terms of population; to the east it is bordered by Lemland. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.

Eslöv

Eslöv

Eslöv is a town and the seat of Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 19,598 inhabitants as of 2018.

Italy

Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, it consists of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands; its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione, and some islands in the African Plate. Italy covers an area of 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi), with a population of about 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome.

Source: "Tórshavn", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 27th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tórshavn.

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See also
References
  1. ^ a b Population, municipalities and villages Statistics Faroe Islands
  2. ^ "Tórshavn Municipality". Tórshavn Municipality.
  3. ^ "Sightseeing". Visit Faroe Islands. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  4. ^ "History and politics". www.studyinfaroeislands.fo. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  5. ^ Jagd, N (27 September 1913). "Havne paa Færøerne". e-pages.dk. Ingeniøren. pp. 505–513.
  6. ^ Gregoriussen, Jákup Pauli (2000). Tórshavn, vár miðstøð og borg II. Tekningar úr Havn (in Faroese). Velbastaður: Forlagið í Støplum. pp. 11–15. ISBN 99918-914-4-7.
  7. ^ British 5.5"/50 (14 cm) BL Mark I
  8. ^ a b "Klimanormaler for Færøerne". Danish Meteorological Institute (in Danish). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Monthly means and extremes 1961–1990 and 1981–2010 for air temperature, atmospheric pressure, hours of bright sunshine and precipitation–Denmark, The Faroe Islands and Greenland" (PDF). Danish Meteorological Institute. January 2011. pp. 16–19. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Normales et records pour la période 1991-2020 à Thorshavn". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Ministry of Health Affairs". The government of the Faroe Islands. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Ministry of Social Affairs". The government of the Faroe Islands.
  13. ^ "Ministry of Finance". The government of the Faroe Islands.
  14. ^ "ISF.fo Faroese confederation of sports and Olympic committee". Ítróttasamband Føroya.
  15. ^ "Effo Kring Føroyar (Tour de Faroe)". Tórshavnar súkklufelag (Bycycle club of Tórshavn) (in Faroese).
  16. ^ https://www.embassypages.com/search?q=Torshavn
  17. ^ Maye, Brian (14 December 2014). "Daniel J Danielsen – a pioneering humanitarian who helped Roger Casement expose the horror of Belgian rule in the Congo". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Torshavn.fo, Vina- og samstarvsbýir". Tórshavn Municipality (in Faroese).
  19. ^ "Mariehamns stads vänorter". Archived from the original on 1 December 2008.
Sources
  • Havsteen-Mikkelsen, Sven (1995) Føroyinga søga (Bjarni Niclasen, týddi; Jørgen Haugan, skrivaði eftirmæli. Tórshavn: Føroya skúlabókagrunnur)
External links

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