Runavík (Settlement) and Runavíkar Municipality

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

The roundabout at the new tunnel entrance in Runavík, December 2020. The Eysturoy Tunnel is state-owned but funded by tolls on drivers using the tunnel. The tunnel was built by NCC contractors and has cost around DKK 1 billion. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN/ABACA/RITZAU SCANPIX

Since 1967, the outlying village of Runavík also been the name of the third largest municipality in the Faroe Islands. The first inhabitants settled in Runavík in 1916, however, both here and in Saltangará, the population did not start to grow until after World War II when businesses and the fishing industry started to expand. Between 1955 and 2021, the population in the Runavík area grew from 493 to 2,129. There are 591 inhabitants in Runavík itself.

The markatal settlement of Glyvrar has 433 inhabitants and covers 16 merkur of copyhold land distributed between three copyhold tenants. There is no freehold land, and the sheep herd consists of 342 animals.

The first residence in the outlying village of Saltangará was registered in 1846. It was formerly also called Heiðarnar (The Heaths), which is still used by many. Here the civil servants in Tórshavn had their peat farms, from where peat for fuel was transported by rowing boats to Tórshavn. It is said that the copyhold tenants in Glyvrar were against anyone settling in the area for a long time. Saltangará currently has 1,069 inhabitants.

Population trends in Runavík, Saltangará and Glyvrar 1966‑2021.
HAGSTOVA FØROYA

The old Nes Kommuna, which consisted of the villages of Glyvrar, Saltangará, Runavík, Lamba, Skipanes, Søldarfjørður, Toftir, Rituvík and Æðuvík, was divided into two independent municipalities in 1967, Nes Kommuna and Runavíkar Kommuna. Following a referendum, the latter came to consist of the villages of Glyvrar, Saltangará, Runavík, Lamba, Skipanes, Søldarfjørður and the two outlying villages of Rituvík and Æðuvík, which are located in the territory of the markatal settlement of Toftir. Furthermore, in the period 2005‑09, the municipality merged with the three former municipalities of Funnings-Elduvíkar, Oyndarfjarðar and Skála Kommuna.

Runavíkar Kommuna cooperates with the neighbouring municipalities on schools, health care and the elderly, day-care facilities, child protection, fire brigade, etc.

Glyvrar, Saltangará and Runavík form a coherent urban village and will in the following mainly be referred to as Runavík.

Port expansion and workplaces

Runavík is the administrative centre of Runavíkar Kommuna and has an important fishing port with significant exports. It has a rich industry with a number of small machine factories, construction companies and many service companies and businesses. Along the main street, there are shops, businesses and cultural institutions. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2015

In the early 1900s, there were plans to build a large port in the area because of the good location and because it was not affected by tidal currents. However, the port was not built because the rural district believed that the water was too deep and that a breakwater would be needed to protect against northerly winds and the accompanying waves. In addition, it was believed that there were too few inhabitants in the area for the construction work to pay off.

Local businessman Símun Simonsen á Høgabóli therefore paid for a jetty in Saltangará in 1909, expecting that the municipality would build a larger port at some later point. However, this did not happen as they were unable to agree on the location. A new proposal was put forward in 1930, but was abandoned for financial reasons. Construction of a pier was started in 1940 during the British occupation in World War II, which was completed in 1947. The expansion of the port area has continued since then, with some intermissions. A newly built port facility was commissioned in 2000, and a deep-water port up to 15 meters deep is still in the making to be able to accommodate large ships. Every year, several cruise ships call on Runavíkar Port, which has developed into a regional powerhouse over the past 60‑70 years.

There are also marinas in both Runavík and other villages in the municipality as well as a relatively new port facility at Glyvrar. This facility is mainly used by the salmon company Bakkafrost, which is the area’s largest workplace with 700 employees. There is also a port facility in Søldarfjørður.

Faroe Origin produces fish products other than salmon and has approx. 120 employees.

At Runavíkar Port, a supplybase has served as a base for oil exploration projects in the Faroe Islands, however, this has been less active in recent years. Added to this there are several other derived workplaces within the maritime area, service businesses and shops as well as hotels and restaurants.

Churches and meeting houses

Glyvrar Kirkja consists of the old building from 1927 and on the left, the extension from 1981. Each year, the church forms the setting for several art exhibitions. Music always accompanies the opening of the exhibitions, and most times the artist also attends to talk about his works and the exhibition. The plan is to build a new church in the coming years. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2015

The parish church in the Runavík area is Glyvrar Kirkja from 1927. It was designed by the then vicar of Nes, Vilhelm Nielsen, and was rebuilt in 1981 according to drawings by architect J.P. Gregoriussen with an extension inspired by the Faroese boat houses. In 1968, the Brethren congregation acquired the Berøa meeting house in Saltangará; it was the former Ebenezer meeting house in Tórshavn, which was dismantled and rebuilt in the village.

The Home Mission, the evangelical branch of the Established Church, has a mission house, the free church Livets Ord (Word of Life) has a meeting house, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have a kingdom hall.

Health care and social institutions

In 1927, a medical practice with an accompanying doctor’s residence was established in Saltangará, designed by H.C.W. Tórgarð. The practice covered a large catchment area; today, Runavík is the centre of a comprehensive health care service with a doctor, dentist, midwife, district psychiatry, laboratory, pharmacy, etc.

The nursing home and old-age home Eysturoyar Røktar- og Ellisheim, which was established in 1984 for the whole of Eysturoy, has been expanded several times and currently has 70 places. Since old-age care was transferred to the municipalities by law in 2015, it has been part of the cooperation within oldage care between the municipalities at Skálafjørður and is managed under the joint institution Roðin.

The local women’s association, Kongshavnar Kvinnufelag, established an institution for children in 1982. Since then, several day-care facilities for children have been established with nurseries, kindergartens and after-school facilities as well as other offers for children and young people.

Schools and teaching

Teaching in the villages at Skálafjørður began in 1840, which was much earlier than elsewhere. The first school building with teacher’s accommodation was built in 1845 in Saltnes, from where the teacher taught in several other villages. After the village schools were closed in 1854, teaching was not resumed until 1870, two years before the new school act in 1872. In 1890, a school opened in Glyvrar.

A new school opened in the village in 1958, which in addition to classrooms also had specialised classrooms, a gym and a dental clinic. The building was designed by the local architect Niels Pauli Hansen. From 1960, pupils were taught in preparation for the school leaving examination, and in 1976 Runavíkar Kommunuskúli was opened with both a secondary school and 8th-10th grade.

The newest central school in Runavíkar Kommuna, Skúlin við Løkin from 2008, offers a wide range of facilities.

Bylgjan, which is a combination of a sports hall and a cultural centre, is a handball arena from the 1980s that has been expanded into a sports and multi-arena in 2014. The handball arena was 1,100 m2 and was expanded with 2,400 m2. The arena was designed by BBP Arkitekter, and the project owners were Runavíkar Kommuna and Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities. MARTIN SIRKOVSKY FOR THE DANISH FOUNDATION FOR CULTURE AND SPORTS FACILITIES, 2012

Culture and sports

The local library, Bókasavnið við Løkin, is, together with the cultural hall Løkshøll, part of the new school complex in Runavík and regularly organises art exhibitions.

The local museum Forni i Glyvrar was founded in 1986 and is housed in Niels Pauli Hansen’s private home, a functionalistic house that he designed and built himself. The museum exhibits tools for both outdoor and indoor work and a shop with items from the 1930s. The museum also has changing exhibitions with different cultural and historical topics. Niels Pauli Hansen left his mark on both private houses and public buildings in the area.

In terms of sports, people are active in clubs offering badminton (Nápur), archery (Bogaskjótifelagið Ørvur), handball (Tjaldur), sports for the disabled (Ítróttarfelagið Svanur), rowing (NSÍ kappróður), football (NSÍ), gymnastics (Støkk), taekwondo (Hwarang Føroyar), golf (Eysturoyar Golffelag), horse riding (Ríðifelagið Sleipnir) and billiards (Skálafjarðar Billardfelag).

The almost 3,500-m² Bylgjan sports hall and cultural centre was completed in 2014. The facility, which was both designed and built by the Copenhagen-based company BBP Arkitekter, has large windows that integrate the sports hall with the surrounding nature. Here, you can do gymnastics, handball, badminton and archery, etc., and it is the venue for conferences, concerts and other cultural activities. There are plans to expand Bylgjan with a swimming pool.

The municipal cultural initiatives include Laksatorgið (salmon market), which is held every year in July and is an outdoor market with tastings, various sales and entertainment for all ages. Byarskáði is held in November: After decorating for Christmas, there are a couple of days with concerts and other entertainment and where the shops have long opening hours.

Each year at the end of April, a culture week is held with concerts, plays, art exhibitions and sports. Every two years, the local business community holds the conference Faroexpo in Runavík with an exhibition of products and various social and cultural events.

Port expansion and workplaces

Churches and meeting houses

Health care and social institutions

Schools and teaching

Culture and sports

Further reading