Tinganes (District of Tórshavn) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

A petroglyph on Tinganes in Tórshavn. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN/TRAP FAROE ISLANDS, 2021

The fact that Tórshavn has been the administrative centre of the Faroe Islands since ancient times is also reflected in the old houses and in the preserved buildings, such as the many warehouse and commercial buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries on Tinganes.

When the bishop’s residence in Kirkjubøur was abolished in 1557, the vicar settled in Tórshavn. Around 1627, a new, four-wing vicarage was built on the ridge called Reyn on Tinganes. Today, only parts of the eastern wing, called Egholmshus, have been preserved. Archaeological investigations have shown that the south, east and west wings were built as half-timbered structures of Dutch bricks, and the floors were made of bricks laid in a herringbone pattern. The north wing was a dovetail log building.

From the courtyard, a narrow passage led directly into the town’s church, which, according to the sources, was built in 1609. This church was closed down in 1788, when a new one, Havnar Kirkja, was built north of the town. The official residence of the vicar in Tórshavn was a farm in the village of Syðradalur, from which he earned his income.

*Portugálið* on Tinganes. The inscription on the stone wall is ‘C5 1693’ and underneath ‘F.V. Gabel’. JOHANNES KLEIN/NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENMARK, 1898

Today, the headquarters of the Faroese Government are located on Tinganes in Tórshavn, with the Prime Minister’s office at the far end of the headland. However, until 1856, the Royal Faroese Trade Monopoly was based in these historic buildings. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2016

Around 1580 a redoubt, á Ryggi, was established on the east side of Eystaruvág to protect Tórshavn. Recurring pirate attacks led to the establishment of another two redoubts. One was built in 1630 as a semicircular battery at the far end of Tinganes; the second was built in 1645 as a heavy rampart across the headland just north of the vicarage á Reyni. The largest redoubt was built on the rocky outcrop Stangarnes. It is still intact in its rebuilt form from 1790.

During a fire in 1673, the Gunpowder House, which belonged to the redoubts, exploded, and many of the buildings on Tinganes burned down. Archaeological investigations have since uncovered building remains and constructions from the time before the fire. These are basements of basalt boulders, where the older parts bear traces of skilp, which is a Faroese mortar with components of crushed shells and animal bones, as well as paved floors laid out in beautiful patterns, sometimes divided into smaller squares and dated to the first half of the 17th century.

On the remains of the redoubt at the far end of Tinganes, a warehouse, Skansapakkhúsið, was built in 1749, which later changed its appearance and is today the Prime Minister’s office.

The Munkastovan building stands out from the other 17th- and 18th-century wooden buildings, which rest on single-walled stone walls. The two-storey high building has 1.5 m thick walls with a binder of skilp. The closest masonry technical parallels can be found in the medieval stone buildings at the episcopal residence of Kirkjubøur. Munkastovan was originally longer than it appears now, as the masonry continues under the 18th-century building Leigubúðin, which is an extension of Munkastovan. It is possible that Munkastovan was linked to the medieval episcopal residence of Kirkjubøur either as a warehouse or for other ecclesiastical functions.

The archaeological material shows the importation of foreign groceries and household items of the same type as seen from the same period in other market towns in Scandinavia and Europe and produced in these countries.

In the rocks at the far end of Tinganes, a multitude of old petroglyphs, initials, house marks and years have been found, as well as a compass card, which are traces of sailors and traders. It is 16th and 18th century graffiti, which was common and also known from trading places in other countries.

Further reading