Tórshavn by foot by Visit Tórshavn

13 The Catholic Church (the Maria Church) Until 1536, the Faroe Islands were catholic and the seat of the Faroese Diocese was located in Kirkjubø. In 1536, the Faroese Reformation brought in the Lutheran faith, and it was not until 1931 that the Catholic church was re-established in the Faroe Islands. The Maria Church was built in 1987, and today is the only Catholic church in the Faroe Islands. Inside the church are several pieces of art, for instance glass artworks by Tróndur Patursson.

14 Vesturkirkjan – The church to the west The church Vesturkirkjan was inaugurated in 1975, and was designed to symbolise a smack. In Faroese churches, it is traditional to place the church altar towards the sunrise on the East side of the church, to symbolise a new beginning or a new life. It is also common for the tower of the church to be on the West side of the building, facing the sunset and symbolising the end or death. Contrary to these traditions, both the tower and the altar of Vesturkirkjan are on the East side of the church.   The statue outside the church is of Sigmundur Brestisson, who christened the Faroe Islands around year 1000 AD.

Tórshavn by foot Enjoy a guided tour and learn about the various places you pass in beautiful Tórshavn 1 Vaglið – The town centre Welcome to the heart of Tórshavn. When you stand underneath the trees in front of the Tourist Information Office and the Old Bookshop and look to your left, you will see a beautiful building made of layered rocks. This is the City Council, built in 1894. On the other side of the road you will see a white wooden building, which houses the Faroese Parliament, Løgtingið. Løgtingið, which was originally based at Tinganes, is probably the oldest Parliament in the world.   Vaglið is host to several celebrations throughout the year. The most important one is the Faroese national holiday, Ólavsøka, which takes place on July 28th and 29th. Every year, Ólavsøka is inaugurated at Vaglið, and during the national celebrations Vaglið plays host to several speeches and events. The celebration concludes with the midnight song on July 29th , when more than 12,000 people gather at Vaglið to sing patriotic songs and participate in the traditional Faroese chain dance. During the whole of the Ólavsøka festivities, Vaglið is crowded with people from all over the country.

2 Reyn og Tinganes – The Old Town of Tórshavn From Vaglið, it’s only a short distance to the church Havnar Kirkja. When this church was built in 1788, Tórshavn was so small that the church was considered to be located to the North of the town rather than within its boundaries. The small peninsula south of the church contains the oldest parts of Tórshavn and is divided into two parts: Reyn and Tinganes. The more inland part of the peninsula is Reyn, which is where the working class used to live. This neighbourhood is made up of black houses, several of which have traditional turf roofs that provide insulation during cold Faroese winters.   Further out on the peninsula is the oldest and most fancy part of old Tórshavn, Tinganes, which is made up mostly of red houses. The name Tinganes originates from the Parliament, which was established in the Viking Age and is believed to be one of the first Parliaments in the world. To this day, Tinganes is still home to many governmental buildings, including the Prime Minister’s Office. For a period of Faroese history, these buildings housed the royal monopoly store of the Faroe Islands, which was the only shop licensed to conduct commerce at the time. On the outermost edge of the peninsula, right next to the flagpole, there is an ancient sundial carved into the rocky ground.

3 Gongin – Former main street This part of the city offers a large assortment of history and a vivid window into the architecture and living conditions of earlier periods in Faroese history.   If you are standing in Áartún, there is a monument where you can read about the Áarstova Brothers, Janus and Hans Andrias Djurhuus, who were passionate about the arts in the late 19th century. West of Áartún is a street named Gongin. This narrow street used to be the main street in Tórshavn and gives a good indication of how small the town actually was.   If you walk beyond Café Natúr you will get to Undir Ryggi, the neighbourhood that sits above it. This area provides a great example of where the old meets the new in Tórshavn.   In between the houses of this neighbourhood, you will find a monument commemorating the Nobel prize-winning physician Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860-1904), a pioneer in radiation therapy who was born in Tórshavn. The monument is placed in this specific location because as a young boy, Finsen had carved his own initials, NRF, into a rock at the back of the garden.   From this monument, walk up the asphalt hill and then to the right, where the street becomes paved with cobblestones.

4 Skansin – Fortress Skansin, the fortress of Tórshavn, was built by Magnus Heinason in 1580 to protect Tórshavn from pirates and other attackers. In 1865 the fortress was shut down and turned into a prison and the 28 men that had worked there became police officers. When the Faroe Islands were occupied by the United Kingdom during the Second World War, the British Royal Navy used Skansin as its main headquarters. There are six cannons at Skansin: two navy guns from HMS Furious and four Danish brass guns dating from 1776-1813.

15 Müller’s Pakkhús - Müller’s Warehouse the Faroese people created a monument, Kongaminnið, in 1882. When you stand next to the monument and look over the city, you will see three cairns, or stone piles, on the top of the mountain to the West. These were erected as part of the monument.

7 SMS – Shopping mall SMS is the largest shopping mall in the Faroe Islands. It opened in 1977 and is now a major hub for Faroese retailing. In the middle of the building, you will see an artistic stairway created by the artist Tróndur Patursson.   www.sms.fo

8 Viðarlundin – Plantation There is very sparse natural tree growth in the Faroe Islands due to the rugged landscape and harsh weather conditions. The first trees in the tree park, Viðarlundin, were planted in about 1880, but the subsequent and more successful planting effort occurred in 1903. In 1988 a storm brought down many trees in the park; the damage is still visible along many of the park’s pathways.

9 Gundadalur – The Sports Area

Sport plays an important role in Faroese life, and although rowing is the official national sport, football and handball are the most popular sports. The sports area in Gundadalur has seen several expansions in recent years. The new football stadium, Tórsvøllur, was built in 1999, primarily to accommodate international football matches. Some of the world’s best national teams have played in the stadium.  Further up the hill, there is a modern aquatic centre featuring four swimming pools. Across the road from the aquatic centre is a track and field stadium, Tórsbreyt. Tórsbreyt opened in 2008 and is the second such stadium in the country. The first is a track and field stadium in the village Svangaskarð.

Müller’s Pakkhús was originally an old merchant warehouse for the entrepreneurial Müller family. This historic building is now being used as a cultural venue and for big social events. Next to Müller’s Pakkhús is the Leaning Warehouse, built to sit on the uneven terrain. A bit further away is a statue of a woman cleaning fish. This represents how Faroese women used to wash the domestic fish catch before it was exported to other countries.

16 Østrøm Østrøm is a centre for culture, business life and Faroese arts and crafts. Here there are good opportunities to see and buy contemporary Faroese arts and crafts.

17 Nólsoyar Páll The statue in the centre of Vágsbotn is of the national hero, Nólsoyar Páll. His statue stands watching over the waters between Tórshavn and Nólsoy. Flying above him is the national bird, the oystercatcher, chasing away a raven. This represents Nólsoyar Páll’s way of thinking: he was an ambitious, patriotic man who believed that the Faroe Islands should be independent. Among his many achievements are the construction of the ship Royndin Fríða and the authorship of the patriotic folk ballad Fuglakvæðið.

The walking tour is 8,35 km Please contact the Tourist Information Office for opening hours and to arrange a visit if applicable. Contact Tourist Information Office: +298 302425.

10 Norðurlandahúsið – The Nordic House The Nordic House opened in 1983 and was designed by the Norwegian architect Ola Steen. This unique building is the result of collaboration between the Nordic countries, and its Nordic roots are visible throughout. As you enter the building, you step onto Norwegian rock tiles and can sit on Finnish chairs. The walls and floors are made of Swedish wood, and the buildin g’s glass and steel structure, which makes it stand out in the Faroese environment, is Danish. Overhead, an Icelandic roof structure covers the building, and the turf on top of the elf-like roof is a Faroese touch. It’s also one of the building’s green features. All year long, the Nordic House offers a programme of exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, conferences and other events. One can also simply visit the café and enjoy the beautiful view of Tórshavn.   For more information and opening hours visit www.nlh.fo.

11 Listasavn Føroya – The Faroe Islands Art Museum Not far from the Nordic House is the Faroe Islands Art Museum, Listasavnið. The museum features Faroese visual art from 1900 to the present with emphasis on works by notable Faroese artists including Sámal Joensen-Mikines, Ruth Smith and Ingálvur av Reyni.   Visitors can also experience a fascinating glass-mirror installation by Tróndur Patursson inside the museum’s ‘Cosmic Room’. Outside of the museum, there is a beautiful outdoors area adjacent to the tree park featuring several statues by Hans Pauli Olsen.   For more information and opening hours visit www.art.fo

Tórshavn by foot

12 The Monument for People Lost at Sea During WW2 This monument was built to commemorate the people who were lost at sea during the Second World War. During the war, British food shortages created an unprecedented opportunity for Faroese sailors to sell fish to the United Kingdom. To take advantage of this unique situation, many sailors made the risky journey between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom. However, although this was good business, several Faroese seamen died at sea due to German efforts to stop transportation across the North Atlantic. More generally, the Second World War had a large impact on the Faroe Islands, which occupy a strategic location between North America and Europe. To take advantage of this and avoid ceding the North Atlantic to Germany, British forces occupied the islands. Their occupation left a lasting legacy in the Faroe Islands, including the main airport in Vágar and greatly improved road infrastructure.

5 Glaðsheyggur – Statue of the Man Carrying a Creel of Peat and the Milk Maid On the top of the hill, Glaðsheyggur, there is a statue from 1984 of a man carrying a creel full of peat. This statue depicts how Faroese people used to walk out to the countryside to get peat. At this particular location, there used to be an old path connecting Tórshavn to the peat-rich countryside. After harvesting the peat and giving it special treatments, it was used as fuel for heating and other purposes. For centuries, this energy source was vital for the survival of the Faroese population.

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6 The monument Kongaminnið Visits from Danish Royals used to be very unusual in the Faroe Islands. The first one occurred when Danish King Christian IX arrived in 1874, a visit that was considered extraordinary. To commemorate this event,

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19-06-13 10:53

19-06-13 10:54