Kaldbak (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

In 1971, chemical engineer A. Guttormur Djurhuus opened the company Marinplast in Kaldbak, which produced fibreglass products. The most important product was fiberglass boats based on traditional Faroese models. The first *fýramannafør* was built in 1972 and the first *áttamannafør* in 1974. Marinplast was closed down in 1992. The fiberglass boats, called Kaldbaks boats, became very popular and several of them are still in use. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN/TRAP FAROE ISLANDS, 2022

Kaldbak is located on the north side of Kaldbaksfjørður. It is a farming village with 252 inhabitants covering 40 merkur of copyhold land distributed between seven copyhold tenants. Of these, one has a farm in Kaldbaksbotnur. The village as one dairy farm, and the sheep herd consists of 976 animals.

The settlement is still scattered on several býlingar. Kaldbak was not connected by road until 1980, before that it could only be reached by sea. The road has resulted in new residential areas, where especially residents who work in Tórshavn have settled. The village has a jetty and marina.

The church is a traditional wooden church with turf roof built in 1835. The first school was built in 1911 and has since been expanded. It is today one of Tórshavnar Kommuna’s schools and offers teaching in the first grades, after which pupils continue in the larger schools in Tórshavn. There is also a day-care facility in the village.

In the period 1974‑92, the company Marinplast produced various products from fibreglass, the most important of which were boats in various sizes. The old workshop now houses the marine biology department of Tjóðsavnið (the Faroe Islands National Museum). A private project, Biofar, is also housed in the building. There are several salmon farms and other farming activities in Kaldbaksfjørður.

Further reading