Hov (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Hov at Hovsfjørður, referred to in the Færeyingasaga, covers 24 merkur, of which 5 merkur and 8 gyllin are copyhold land divided between three copyhold tenants, and 18 merkur and 8 gyllin are freehold land. The village has 97 inhabitants. The sheep herd consists of 970 animals. The village has been an independent municipality since 1920. In the areas of school, daycare centres and elderly care, the municipality cooperates with the other municipalities on Suðuroy.

According to the Færeyingasaga, the chieftain Havgrímur established a farm in Hof; Hov is the Nordic term for a place of sacrifice. Archaeological evidence and place names, such as Ergidalur and Ergifossur, suggest that shieling was common in Hov in the Middle Ages, and excavations have shown ærgi (summer settlements) in Ergidalur near the village.

In addition to sheep farming and boat fishing, Hov has an old tradition of keeping many geese, and in the infield, it is still possible to see many of the distinctive goose houses.

Hov got its first church after the Reformation. The current church in the village is the old Vágs Kirkja. The village’s mission house was built in 1964.

The village’s first school was established in 1888. A new one was built in 1982, but has since been closed down and is now used as an activity centre, and the high school Miðnámsskúlin í Suðuroy uses the building for students with special needs. Heilsusskúli Føroya, offering social and health educational programmes, is also located in Hov.

Children living in Hov go to school in the neighbouring village of Porkeri. The old road across the mountain to Ørðavík is unsafe in winter, but unique basalt formations can be seen along the side of the road. In 2007, the tunnel between Ørðavík and Hov opened.

The first marina was built in 1935‑40 and is today mostly used by P/F Bakkafrost for salmon farming. As early as the 1950s, fish farming experiments were carried out, and there were facilities on land for trout and salmon production. P/F Bakkafrost took over Faroe Farming’s salmon farming in Hovsfjørður in 2016.

The local association of cultural history and archealogy has taken the initiative to restore a fiskastykki (stonepaved piece of land used for drying cod) and an old grocery shop that was in use until 1984 and which has now been converted into the museum Savnið á Myrini. The museum has a café and is used for a number of cultural activities, including an annual Viking festival and an animal festival. In 2016, it was decided to build a Viking ship and steps have also been taken to build a longhouse with a forge. In 2015, a stone was erected in memory of the Viking Age chief Havgrímur.

The Faroe Islands’ first qualified architect, Johan Hofgaard, was born in Hov.

Further reading