Porkeri (Settlement) – Trap The Faroe Islands

© Styrelsen for Dataforsyning og Infrastruktur

Porkeri, mentioned in Hundabrævið, has 319 inhabitants and covers 37 merkur. Of this area, 14 merkur and 10 gyllin are copyhold land, including formerly endowed land, divided between eight copyhold tenants; 22 merkur and 6 gyllin are freehold land. The sheep herd consists of 1,050 animals.

The name Porkeri suggests that pigs were kept in the area, and the it is also known for its good grain growing conditions back in time. What remains now is hobby-based ram farming, which has developed into a special culture with an annual ram show.

Fishing and navigation have played a major role in the village. The farmer Per í Gjørðum helped build the Faroe Islands’ first ship, Royndin Fríða, in Vágur in 1804. Already around the year 1900, there was a private navigation school in the village, where fishermen from all over the Faroe Islands came to train as skippers. The village had many active skippers, which is seen in the local architecture with a number of large and beautiful houses along the street Skiparavegur. The houses are known throughout the country as skipararekkjan í Porkeri (skippers’ street in Porkeri).

In 1961, A/S Kambur from Porkeri launched the first Faroese-built steel ship, Porkeningur, which was intended for longline fishing, from Tórshavnar Skipasmiðja.

Porkeri has had its own church since the Reformation. The current church, a traditional wooden church with a turf roof, dates from 1847.

The Brethren congregation has had a meeting hall called Betania since 1907. The current hall was inaugurated in 1975.

The village’s first school was established in 1888. The new one is from 1984 and has pupils from grades one to seven, after which they continue at Vágs Skúli. The old school is today a local museum with a restaurant. The old grocery shop, Skemmukrambúðin, has been restored with the help of volunteer work and support. In 2003, the municipality bought the furniture store Húsið við Á, which was converted into an activity centre. The neighbourhoods í Eystrum and í Skálanum, which date back to the 16th century, have also been restored.

In Porkeri, a small harbour with a pier was built in 1964, which has since been expanded several times, most recently in 1976. In 2020, SEV built a wind farm in the outfield.

Further reading