Kollafjørður (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

From the head of the fjord Kollafjørðu, the landscape continues to the valley Kollfjarðardalur. The curved road leads from the opening of the Kaldbak tunnel to the roundabout. At the head of Kollafjørður is the neighbourhood Langasandur on the left with a quay and industrial area and on the other side is the neighbourhood of Oyrareinger, which has a cold store and transshipment of fish products. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2021

Kollafjørður, mentioned in Hundabrævið, covers 51 merkur of copyhold land and 1 mørk of freehold land. The copyhold land is divided between 11 copyhold tenants, one of which is the publicly owned research station Búnaðarstovan, which is located in the village. The sheep herd consists of 1,810 animals. Kollafjørður was an independent municipality between 1913 and 2001, when it merged with Tórshavnar Kommuna, and its proximity to Tórshavn means that many residents commute there to work. Others work as fishermen and sailors.

Kollafjørður, the Faroe Islands’ longest village, has for centuries consisted of 11 býlingar, which stretches along a several kilometre long settlement on both sides of the fjord: Sundini, Kjalnes, Miðgerði, Todnes, Hamrar, við Sjógv, Líðin, Langasandur, Oyrareingir, Signabøur, á Heyggi, frammi í Dal and frammi við Gjónna at Leynavatn, to which the inhabitants of Kollafjørður moved in 1815.

In 1801, Kollafjørður, with its 134 inhabitants, was one of the most important agricultural villages, and with a dairy farm with 45 dairy cows, agriculture is still important. The settlement currently has 818 inhabitants.

Tórshavn had to be reached by sea until a road was built across the mountain from Tórshavn to Kollafjørður in the 1960s. The connection was further improved with the Kaldbak Tunnel from Kaldbaksbotnur to Oyrareingir in Kollafjørður in 1992.

Map of districts and municipalities. KF.FO AND PEDER DAM, 2022

The Kollafjørður fjord is a good natural harbour. In the southwest lies the 768-m high Skælingsfjall, and in the northwest lies Árnadalstindur at 722 m. In the long Kollafjarðardalur lie the two small lakes of Mjáuvøtn and the scenic Leynavatn, which has been known for centuries for its Arctic char, bleikjur (Salvelinus alpinus). Today, the lakes are a paradise for salmon. The restaurant KOKS, which received two Michelin stars in 2021, was housed in the old Frammi við Gjónna farm.

In recent times, the port facility at Langasandur and at Oyrareingir has been expanded. At Langasandur, there is a 460-m long quay, and the quay in the container port at Oyrareingir is 150 m long. There are also two marinas on Signabøur and in við Sjógv, where the local boating association is housed.

The village has a medical practice, village hall, mission house, free church and a house for the scouts’ association. It also has a nursing home for nine people. Preparations are underway for a new old-age and nursing home for 32 residents, which is expected to be completed in 2024.

In the port area, PP Faroe Pelagic, which processes pelagic fish for export, has set up a cold store, and the shipping company Samskip has set up two cold stores. Two shipping companies that own shrimp trawlers and trawlers equipped for pelagic fishing, A/S Líðin and Northwest Pelagic, are headquartered in Kollafjørður. The Kollafjørður fjord is approved as a salmon farming area where Bakkafrost holds the licence. Small-scale lobster fishing is also carried out in the fjord and off the fjord indlet in Tangafjørður.

The company Atlanticpane, which manufactures glass for construction, has established itself in the port area, just like Bulur, which builds detached houses, terraced houses, day-care facilities, etc. The transport company IR-transport has over 50 vehicles. There are also five other small companies with trucks and vehicles for special transports, as well as several small service and craftsman businesses.

The old thingstead is located in við Sjógv, and in the same area you can also find the Tinggarðurin from 1844, which has been preserved. The farm Sjóvargarður used to be a cultural centre where the poet and King’s yeoman Jens Christian Djurhuus lived. He composed several well-known ballads and songs such as the ballad Ormurin Langi, which is known and loved by everybody in the Faroe Islands. His great-grandchildren were the two poets J.H.O Djurhuus and H.A. Djurhuus.

The church in við Sjógv is a traditional wooden church with a turf roof from 1837, and there have been several churches before this one. The vicar lived in Kollafjørður on Kjalnes before he moved to Kvívík.

From around 1838 to 1849, an itinerant teacher taught the children in Kollafjørð. A permanent teacher was employed in the village in 1885, and the first school was completed in við Sjógv in 1889. In 1932, Oyrareingir had its own school designed by H.C.W. Tórgarð. Since 1970, all schooling has been gathered in Kollafjarðar Skúli við Sjógv designed by Niels Pauli Hansen with a gym and later also swimming pool. The school is now one of Tórshavnar Kommuna’s schools, and has pupils from the 1st to 9th grade. The school has access to a sports hall. Kollafjørður also has a day-care facility that can accommodate 80 children.

Since 1942, the village has had its own sports association, KÍF, which offers men’s and women’s handball, rowing and volleyball. KÍF has been Faroese champions in men’s handball and rowing on several occasions. The chess club Kollafjarðar Talvfelag, KT, was founded in 1966 and has won several championships.

Further reading