Tjørnuvík (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Tjørnuvík on northernmost Streymoy is surrounded by high mountain slopes on three sides, but opens to the east and is a popular place for tourists. Despite the narrow roads, people flock to Tjørnuvík to experience the panoramic view with Risin and Kellingin in the centre. Tjørnuvík is one of the few places in the Faroe Islands where it is possible to surf. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2009

Tjørnuvík, mentioned in Hundabrævið, has 46 inhabitants and covers 24 merkur. Of this, 4 merkur are copyhold land, which is leased on a single copyhold tenant, and 20 merkur are freehold land. The sheep herd consists of 768 animals. The village was established in the Viking Age around the year 1000, which was documented during archaeological excavations in 1956. Here, among other things, they found a ring-headed pin which had belonged to an adult woman and is dated to around the 10th century.

Numerous large streams mark the mountainside after rainfall at Tjørnuvík. BJARNE JAKOBSEN/BIOFOTO/RITZAU SCANPIX, 2013

Until the merger with Sunda Kommuna in 2005, Tjørnuvík and Haldórsvík were an independent municipality.

Tjørnuvík is a brimpláss with its sandy beach directly on the open sea. The village is surrounded by high mountains, several of which make for excellent bird cliffs towards the sea with scree at their base. The Sjeyndir valley extends at the northernmost part of the island. In the sea north of the villages, rises the 133-m high sea-stack Tjørnuvíksstakkur, on which rams graze in summer; you need to take a cableway to reach the sea-stack. The sandy beach in the village offers a clear view of the Risin and Kellingin rock formations on the other side of the fjord.

A stream runs through Tjørnuvík, which has provided easy access to drinking water, and there are still many traditional houses that have been allowed to remain almost untouched. The village was connected by road in 1966, and since then it has been one of the country’s most visited tourist destinations.

In 1857, it was decided to move the church from Tjørnuvík to Saksun. For many years, the village therefore had no church and belonged to the church in the neighbouring village of Haldórsvík, to which the road was difficult. In 1937, Tjørnuvík had a church again, designed by H.C.W. Tórgarð.

A school was built in 1950, but it has since been closed down. Today, the building is administered by the Faroese artists’ association LISA, and artists can apply for a work residence in the building.

Tjørnuvík is known for having preserved the old, so-called Kingosang.

Further reading