Mykines (Island)

Mykines has 16 inhabitants and covers 40 merkur. 12 merkur, 10 gyllin and 15 skinn are copyhold land distributed between three copyhold tenants. 27 merkur, 5 gyllin and 5 skinn are freehold land and is largely owned by people living elsewhere. The sheep herd consists of 1,020 animals.

The island of Mykines has steep, rugged shores and an unreliable landing site, which cannot be used for weeks during onshore winds. A deep, approx. 50 m wide gorge, Holmgjógv, separates Mykines from Mykineshólmur. The highest point on Mykines is Knúkur. On 17 September 1970, an Icelandair plane crashed on Mykines on its way to Vágar. Eight out of the total of 34 people on board died.

The church was built in 1879 and the school in 1897. The school is, in principle, not closed if there are any children of school age in the village.

When the Mykines lighthouse was established, a bridge was built across the gorge in 1909, which has since been renewed. In the 1930s, housing was built for the lighthouse keepers on Mykineshólmur, but after the lighthouse service was automated around 1970, no one has lived permanently on Mykineshólmur. However, the lighthouse keeper’s residence is still intact.

Until after World War II, Mykines was a well-functioning local community. In the 1930s, the number of school children peaked at around 30, and there were several young people in the village. Although access to the sea could be difficult, the distance to the fishing grounds was short. Longdistance fishing in summer, which started at the end of the 1800s, was in harmony with life in the village, where the young men went fishing, but there were still enough people at home to take care of the land, catch birds, etc.

Mykineshólmur is the only place in the Faroe Islands where northern gannets are found, and they are still caught in the traditional way once a year. Bird catches used to be very important, but a decline in the bird population means that the seabirds are protected for the time being. Mykineshólmur also used to be famous for breeding oxen for slaughter, which were transported to Tórshavn every year and sold to butchers.

Mykines was electrified in the mid- 1960s, but by then, its remote location and the periodic inaccessibility had meant that many families had moved, and traditional village life became difficult due to the modest population. Sheep farming is carried out in the traditional way, but requires periodic help from the outside, and cattle are no longer found on the island.

Mykines is one of the country’s most important tourist attractions, to which a liner sails from Sørvágur in summer with tourists who are going on hikes through the ‘land of the puffin’ to see the many birds and on across the bridge to Mykineshólmur. Most people go on a one-day trip, but it is possible to eat and stay the night on the island. The ferry connection is unstable in winter, but there is a regular helicopter service.

Visual artist Sámal Joensen-Mikines was born and raised in Mykines.

Further reading

• Tórshavn – Town
• Klaksvík – Town
• Borðoy – Island
• Eysturoy – Island
• Fugloy – Island
• Kalsoy – Island
• Kunoy – Island
• Sandoy – Island
• Streymoy – Island
• Suðuroy – Island
• Skúvoy – Island
• Viðoy – Island
• Vágar – Island

Read more about The islands, towns and settlements