Hvalvík is a village in the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...

, located in a valley on the east coast of the island of Streymoy

Streymoy

Streymoy is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn is located there. The name means "island of currents".- Geography :...

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It is the southern half of a twin-village situated on both sides of the valley. The villages are divided by the river Stórá. The northern half which is approximately the same size is called Streymnes

Streymnes

Streymnes is a village on the eastern coast of the Faroese island of Streymoy in the municipality of Sunda. The 2005 population was 201. Its postal code is FO 435. It is near the site of a former Norwegian whaling station active from 1893-1927....

. Together the two villages have a population of more than 400 inhabitants.

Hvalvík-Streymnes is a village that has grown rapidly during the past years, mainly because of its proximity to the capital Tórshavn

Tórshavn

Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn...

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More than 180 pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) were killed in the small town of Hvalvik during the traditional whale killing In Faroe Islands on May 23, 2009.

Hvalvík Church

The Church in Hvalvik is a traditional wooden church dating from 1829, built because the old Church from 1700 was ruined in a storm. It is the third oldest Church in the Faroe Islands, though the oldest of the traditional wooden black churches. The Church is built with wood bought from a ship that ran aground in Saksun

Saksun

Saksun is a village near the north-west coast of the Faroese island of Streymoy.*Population: 34*Postal code : FO 436*Location: *Municipality: Saksunar...

 in 1828. The architecture is typically Faroese, with no stone foundations. The pulpit

Pulpit

Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...

dates back to 1609 and was originally in the Church in Tórshavn.

The famous Bishop Alexander was raised in Hvalvík, in a place called Frammi við Kráir. Legend has it, that he was the first to import knives and forks.

The Church was featured on Faroese stamps issued in 1997:
Hvalvík means "Whale Bay", for it is a good place for whaling. The photo that shows a portal of old whale bones is not taken in Hvalvík, it is in a village about 10km south of Hvalvík named Hósvík

External links

• Faroeislands.dk: Hvalvík Images and description of all cities on the Faroe Islands.