Vestmanna (Settlement) and Vestmanna Municipality

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Vestmanna, mentioned in Hundabrævið, has 1,248 inhabitants and covers 56 merkur. 34 merkur and 12 gyllin are copyhold land distributed between nine copyhold tenants. The freehold land covers 21 merkur and 4 gyllin. The sheep herd consists of 1,820 animals.

The hydropower plant in Vestmanna. In the area, electricity is also generated from wind and current and a planned *pumped storage* system. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2017

The outfield in Vestmanna is vast. In it lie the small lakes á Mýrunum, Frammi á Vatni and Gásavatn between Vestmanna and Saksun. Archaeological excavations have established that the oldest settlement is from the late Middle Ages. The village has since been divided into býlingar (neighbourhoods), which have now grown together.

The establishment of a branch of the royal monopoly trade in 1839 boosted the development of the village, which continued after the introduction of free trade in 1856. Shortly afterwards, several merchants established themselves as fish buyers, producers of dried cod and some also as shipowners and soon more fishing vessels arrived such as the Faroe Islands’ first trawler in 1906.

Population trends in Vestmanna 1966‑2021.
HAGSTOVA FØROYA

The shipyard A/S Vestmanna Skipasmiðja was established in 1897. It was taken over by Tórshavnar Skipasmiðja in 1986 and is now part of the MEST Shipyard group. The company Vest Pack, established in 1984, makes packaging and other plastic items. There is also a fish factory and several smaller businesses, but many of the inhabitants work elsewhere.

The village is home to the Faroe Islands’ largest and most active book publisher, SPROTIN, founded in 1992. Until the undersea tunnel Vágatunnilin was inaugurated in 2002, Vestmanna was the hub for the car ferry service to the airport and to Vágar.

The village has had a church and a prayer house for centuries. The current church was built of hewn, plastered stone by builder Petur í Mattalág in 1895. Vestmanna had its first resident vicar in 1986.

The first school building was built in 1879. A new school with a gym and a swimming pool was built in 1950 based on drawings by Eyolfur á Heygum, and in 1955, a preparatory school was established here. The school was expanded in 1965‑66 by Lamhauge & Waagstein and again in 1986.

In 1988, it was decided to place a vocational fishing college, Fiskivinnskúlin, which should also have a high school programme, in Vestmanna. The school, today called Miðnám í Vestmanna, is part of the general highschool and vocational programme that also offers many specialised courses.

The old-age and nursing home, Heimi á Grønanesi, was completed in 2012. Within old-age care, Vestmanna Kommuna cooperates with Eiðis, Kvívíkar and Sunda Kommuna (the VEKS cooperation). The local museum Vestmanna Bygdasavn opened in 1985. Tourism is very important for the village, from which there are daily boat trips to Vestmannabjørgini, the bird cliffs north of Vestmanna, in summer. There are also boats that offer fishing trips for tourists, and there is a hotel and a large campsite.

The Danish-Faroese painter Jack Kampmann is buried in Vestmanna where he lived with his family and worked for many years.

Ólavur á Heygum and the power plant in Vestmanna

The King’s yeoman, merchant and politician Olav Johannes Olsen, called Ólavur á Heygum, was behind a large number of initiatives, such as the establishment of the Faroe Islands’ first telephone line in 1905 and the establishment of the bank Føroya Banki in 1906. He also had plans to utilise the water power in Vestmanna for a hydropower plant but met opposition, and the project was not realised during his lifetime. However, it became a reality when the intermunicipal company SEV was founded in 1946, and the first turbine started producing electricity in 1953 in Vestmanna’s power plant.

The gallows in Vestmanna

Vestmanna’s natural harbour is sheltered by Vágar and, like several other villages, it was plagued by pirates in the past, and there are several accounts of the inhabitants fleeing to hide in the mountains, which could interfere with the harvest work. Cattle, sheep and poultry were stolen, and church and property ravaged.

In the spring of 1615, the King’s envoy Jørgen Daa had been informed that Irish pirates were on their way to the Faroe Islands. On 22 May, he arrived with the two warships Jupiter and Vægter at Vestmanna, where two Irish pirate ships had been staying for several days. He successfully managed to overpower the pirates, and Jørgen Daa had a gallows erected where eight of the highest ranking pirates were hanged. He let the others go on one ship, while the other vessel was brought to Copenhagen as spoils of war.

In 1616, the pirates returned to tear down the gallows, as witnessed by four farmers. As a historical memory – and for the tourists – a gallows was set up on the site again in 2021.

Ólavur á Heygum and the power plant in Vestmanna

The gallows in Vestmanna

Further reading