Nes (Settlement) and Nes Municipality (Eysturoy)

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Nes Kommuna

Nes is an old church village with a vicarage and cemetery and a small landing site that was frequently used in the past. The old grey-painted vicarage from 1863 is seen in the foreground. The old Nes Kirkja from 1843 has been preserved, but is only used on special occasions. The new parish church is Fríðrikskirkjan, located in Toftir. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2020

After the division of the old Nes Kommuna in 1967, the new Nes Kommuna consisted of the markatal settlements Nes and Toftir and the outlying villages of Saltnes, which have merged into a coherent settlement. Eystnes is the southernmost point on Eysturoy, and on its ridge stand several wind turbines.

Nes settlement

Nes, mentioned in Hundabrævið, covers 20 merkur of copyhold land, which was originally endowed land. The settlement has 360 inhabitants. Since 1632, the Torkilsheyggjur farm has been an annexe farm to Nes vicarage. The sheep herd consists of 400 animals.

The vicarage in Nes dates several hundred years back. After the Reformation, Heini Jonsson, called Heini Havreki, became the Faroe Islands’ first Lutheran vicar. He was appointed vicar in Nes in 1541, and became the first Lutheran dean in the country in 1558. He was also the father of the freebooter Magnus Heinason (Mogens Heinesen).

Before that, the Faroe Islands, which became an independent diocese in 1990, had had 34 deans, 14 of which lived at Nes vicarage. The last dean at the vicarage, who served between 1900 and 1917, was the priest, politician and poet Fríðrikur Petersen, born in Saltnes.

V.U. Hammershaimb, who became vicar in Nes in 1862 and was dean in the period 1867‑78, had a new and modern vicarage built in 1863, which would influence the building custom. The vicarage was in use until a new one was built in 1979 and now houses a local museum and cultural centre.

The church in Nes, neighbouring the old vicarage, was built in 1843 and was the main parish church until 1994, when Fríðrikskirkjan in Toftir was consecrated. The church is listed and is used on special occasions.

Blákrossheimið (the Blue Cross Home), which treats citizens with drug and alcohol addiction, opened in 2014.

Further reading

Read more about The islands, towns and settlements