Gjógv (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Stórá, which divides Gjógv in two, has always been a popular playground for children. Rowing on rafts and in rubber boats in the small pond in the middle of the village is a very popular activity. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2021

Gjógv covers 15 merkur of freehold land is the northernmost village on Eysturoy. The sheep herd consists of 1,155 animals.

The village is located by a 200 m long gorge, which serves as a port for small boats, and was first mentioned in 1584. It is said that Gjógv is an early outlying village from Funningur, which in old documents is also referred to as Funnings Gjógv. The oldest settlement was at Eysturi við Garðar, where the church and cemetery are located today.

The stream Daláin or Stórá divides the village in two. The Ambadalur valley lies northwest of Gjógv, and on the coast rises the 188 m high, freestanding Búgvin sea-stack, where seabirds breed in large numbers. Southeast of Gjógv lies the mountain Tyril at 535 m and to the south lies Middagsfjall at 601 m. The infield in Gjógv is unusually large in comparison with the infield of many other villages.

A fisherman sorts his catch on the rocks in Gjógv, which is named after the deep gorge (*gjógv*) that cuts into the landscape at the village. The natural harbour is one of the Faroe Islands’ major tourist attractions. It was probably already used in the Viking Age. During World War II, new steps and a new house for the hoist were built. Photo from 1970. RIISBERG/RITZAU SCANPIX

From Gjógv, it is a short sailing trip to the Djúpini sound, which is abundant in fish, and the village lies on the Norðhavet, where cod spawn in spring. The fact that all the land has been privately owned, as well as the short distance to fishing grounds, has contributed to the considerable population growth during the 19th century, particularly after the introduction of free trade in 1856. Besides boat fishing, many from Gjógv went out on fishing vessels from other parts of the Faroe Islands. A road connection to Eiði was established in 1959 and to Funningur in 1964.

The population peaked at 286 people around 1945, but the outward migration has been significant in recent years, and many of the houses are now empty most of the year and are mostly used as holiday homes. The new holiday home area, Fornagarður, has 19 holiday homes, and the Flatnagarður campsite was established in 2014. Gjógv currently has 24 permanent residents.

Gjógv’s first church was built in 1929, designed by the vicar Vilhelm Nielsen and placed so that it looks the best from the sea. At the consecration, the service was held in Faroese, which was the first time in Faroese church history. A sculpture by Fridtjof Joensen was erected opposite the church in 1971, depicting a mother and her two sons waiting for the man of the house to return from the sea.

The village’s first school was built in 1883, but is no longer in use. In the past, a large number of pupils from the school went on to take a higher education.

The village hall dates from 1956 and was restored in the late 1980s. It is still the venue for a range of activities.

The most important workplaces today are a precast concrete factory that opened in 1982 and a breeding centre for salmon fry from 1985. Due to a crisis in the industry, the breeding centre closed in 2004, but has since reopened under the Bakkafrost Group.

Tourism has become increasingly important, and the hotel Gjáargarður opened in 1984. The number of visitors is on average 35,000 per year.

The Norwegian TV series Buzz Aldrin, hvor ble det av deg i alt mylderet? (Buzz Aldrin, where did you end up in all the fuss?) (2011) largely takes place in Gjógv.

Further reading