Haldórsvík (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

The octagonal church in Haldórsvík, the shape of which is unusual for the Faroe Islands, was built in 1856 on the initiative of the vicar C.V. Prytz. In his own draft for the church, he wrote that the church ‘should be built in a layout hitherto unknown in the Faroe Islands’. The model was the baroque church in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. Due to financial problems, however, it was not fully completed according to plan until 1932. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2020

Haldórsvík, or simply Vík, covers 12 merkur. 4 merkur and 4 gyllin are copyhold land, which is distributed between four copyhold tenants, and 7 merkur and 12 gyllin are freehold land. The village has 109 inhabitants. The sheep herd consists of 792 animals.

The mountains around the settlement are high, and you can also encounter rock faces in the infield, which in some places are so sudden and steep that it has been necessary to establish terraces, called bríkar, in order to cultivate the land.

The village’s growth in recent times is linked to the development of the fishing industry. Port conditions in Haldórsvík improved in the 1970s, and a fish filleting factory was built in the port area. It created work for the population until it closed in the 1990s, and is now used to service the salmon farming industry in the area. The village still has a small port facility.

The octagonal church in Haldórsvík, which is very uncommon for the Faroe Islands, was built in 1856 with Frederiksberg Church in Copenhagen as a model. In 1996, the church had a new altarpiece painted by Torbjørn Olsen. The scene is The Last Supper with recognisable faces from the Faroese art world.

The village had its first school in 1904.

Further reading