Saksun (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Far to the north on Streymoy’s western side, Saksun is surrounded by dramatic nature with steep bird cliffs and high mountain slopes. The written form Sakshøfn alludes to the fact that Saksun used to be a harbour which was filled with sand during a storm in 1602. The farmhouse Dúvugarðar with its outbuildings is protected and today belongs to Tjóðsavnið (the National Museum). ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2018

Saksun covers 29 merkur and 8 gyllin, of which the 29 merkur are copyhold land and 8 gyllin are freehold land. The copyhold land is divided between four copyhold tenants. The village has ten inhabitants. The sheep herd consists of 818 animals. In 1584, Saksun was referred to as Saxhøfn. Saksun was one of the smallest municipalities in the Faroe Islands until it became part of Sunda Kommuna in 2005.

The village is surrounded by high mountains. To the south towers Streymoy’s highest mountain, Koppenni, at 789 m. At the opening of the valley towards the sea lies the wide sandy Lógvin beach, from which a narrow opening, Ósin, cuts into the land. In the Ósin, the stream follows the movements of the tides and opens into the pot-shaped Pollur. One of the large streams that flows into Pollur is Skipá. The village’s name may refer to the fact that there used to be a natural harbour here. It is said that, on 2 February 1602, the violent storm Kyndilsmessan harða filled the inlet with sand, so that the first ship that subsequently tried to call at the harbour ran aground on Lógvin.

The village is quite distinctive from other Faroese villages since the three old býlingar of Dúvugarður, Svartá and Kvíggjarhamar lie scattered and largely without any intermediate settlements. Saksun is a great place to fish for wild salmon both on the beach and in lake Saksunarvatn, which lie at the end of a 10 km long valley that stretches from Hvalvík to Saksun.

A Middle-Age church was closed after the Reformation, after which the inhabitants used the church in Tjørnuvík. In 1858, the church in Tjørnuvík was dismantled and rebuilt in stone with the former woodwork inside.

Saksun is among the Faroe Islands’ most visited tourist attractions because of the magnificent nature and the local museum in the old farmhouse Dúvugarðar, which has been preserved with its original interior.

Further reading