Klaksvík
Encyclopedia
Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands
.
The town is located on Borðoy
, which is one of the northernmost islands (in Faroese: Norðoyar
).
The first settlement at Klaksvík dates back to Viking times, but it was not before the 20th century that the district merged to form a large, modern Faroese town that became the cultural and commercial centre for the Northern Isles and the Faroe Islands as a whole.
Klaksvik is located between two inlets lying back to back. It has an important harbour with fishing industry and a modern fishing fleet. Originally, four farms were located where Klaksvik is now. In time, they grew into four villages, Vágur, Myrkjanoyri, Gerðar and Uppsalar, that finally merged to form the town of Klaksvík in 1938. What triggered the development of the town was the establishment of a centralized store for all the northern islands on the location.
The brewery
Föroya Bjór
in Klaksvík is a Faroese family brewery, founded in 1888. The ram has been the symbol of the brewery since the early beginning. Since August 2007, when Restorffs Bryggjarí
went out of business, Föroya Bjór has been the only producer of beer and soft drinks in the Faroe Islands.
With the opening of the Leirvík
sub sea tunnel, the Norðoyatunnilin
in April 2006, Klaksvík is physically linked with the mainland of the Faroe Islands and can now be considered one of its key ports. Several developments are under way to exploit this symbiosis, including a new industrial park located by the tunnel entrance. Klaksvík is home to Summarfestivalurin
, the largest music festival in the Faroe Islands.
to be built in Old Norse
style. The roof construction is the same as the one you would find in the Viking halls, and the same which has survived in the Faroese smoke rooms (kitchens) and in the Faroese village churches. This open roof construction has proved to be especially suitable for church buildings, as the acoustics in this church is better than in any other of a similar size. The church is dedicated to the memory of the sailors who lost their life during Second World War
.
, Russia
- Wick
, Scotland
- Sisimiut
, Greenland
- Kópavogur
, Iceland
- Trondheim
, Norway
- Norrköping
, Sverige - Tampere
, Finland
- Grenaa, Denmark
- Odense
, Denmark
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...
.
The town is located on Borðoy
Borðoy
Borðoy is an island in the north-east of the Faroe Islands. There are eight settlements: Klaksvík , Norðoyri, Ánir, Árnafjørður, Strond, Norðtoftir, Depil and Norðdepil. There are also three abandoned settlements: Skálatoftir, Múli and Fossá, all in the north...
, which is one of the northernmost islands (in Faroese: Norðoyar
Norðoyar
The six islands in the northeast of the Faroe Islands are together referred to as Norðoyar, i.e. the Northern Isles . These Islands are Kalsoy, Kunoy, Borðoy, Viðoy, Svínoy and Fugloy. Klaksvík is regarded as the natural capital of this region. Norðoyar is sometimes spelled Norðoyggjar.-Further...
).
The first settlement at Klaksvík dates back to Viking times, but it was not before the 20th century that the district merged to form a large, modern Faroese town that became the cultural and commercial centre for the Northern Isles and the Faroe Islands as a whole.
Klaksvik is located between two inlets lying back to back. It has an important harbour with fishing industry and a modern fishing fleet. Originally, four farms were located where Klaksvik is now. In time, they grew into four villages, Vágur, Myrkjanoyri, Gerðar and Uppsalar, that finally merged to form the town of Klaksvík in 1938. What triggered the development of the town was the establishment of a centralized store for all the northern islands on the location.
The brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
Föroya Bjór
Föroya Bjór
Föroya Bjór is a Faroese brewing company founded in 1888 by Símun F. Hansen. The name of the brewery means The Beer of the Faroes. In 1883 Símun F. Hansen went to Denmark to learn the art of brewing and baking. When he returned to the Faroes a few years later he established his own brewery in 1888,...
in Klaksvík is a Faroese family brewery, founded in 1888. The ram has been the symbol of the brewery since the early beginning. Since August 2007, when Restorffs Bryggjarí
Restorffs Bryggjarí
Restorffs Bryggjarí was a Faroese brewing company established by the Danish-German immigrant Martin Christian Restorff in 1849.Restorffs Bryggjarí was situated in the capítal Tórshavn, where the majority of its beer production was sold. The brewery was family owned until 2002, when it was sold on...
went out of business, Föroya Bjór has been the only producer of beer and soft drinks in the Faroe Islands.
With the opening of the Leirvík
Leirvík
Leirvík is a town on the Faroe Islands and was an important regional ferry harbour at the east coast of the second largest island Eysturoy. Leirvík has 867 inhabitants...
sub sea tunnel, the Norðoyatunnilin
Norðoyatunnilin
Norðoyatunnilin is with 6,300 m the longest tunnel of the Faroe Islands. It connects the town of Leirvík on Eysturoy under the strait Leirvíksfjørður with the city of Klaksvík on Borðoy....
in April 2006, Klaksvík is physically linked with the mainland of the Faroe Islands and can now be considered one of its key ports. Several developments are under way to exploit this symbiosis, including a new industrial park located by the tunnel entrance. Klaksvík is home to Summarfestivalurin
Summarfestivalurin
Summarfestivalurin was first held in August 2004 in Klaksvík in the Faroe Islands. Only 3000 tickets were printed this year and all tickets were sold...
, the largest music festival in the Faroe Islands.
The Christianschurch
Christianskirkjan build 1963, is the first one in ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
to be built in Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
style. The roof construction is the same as the one you would find in the Viking halls, and the same which has survived in the Faroese smoke rooms (kitchens) and in the Faroese village churches. This open roof construction has proved to be especially suitable for church buildings, as the acoustics in this church is better than in any other of a similar size. The church is dedicated to the memory of the sailors who lost their life during Second World War
British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II
The British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II, also known as "Operation Valentine," was implemented immediately following the German invasion of Denmark and Norway....
.
Twin towns
- MurmanskMurmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Sisimiut
Sisimiut
Sisimiut is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately north of Nuuk. It is the administrative center of the Qeqqata Municipality and the second-largest town in Greenland, with a population of 5,460 people as of 2010. The site of the present-day town...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
- Kópavogur
Kópavogur
Kópavogur is a city and Iceland's second largest municipality, with a population of 30,779.It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Greater Reykjavík Area. The name literally means seal pup bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
- Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
, Sverige - Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
- Grenaa, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
- Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
, Denmark
See also
- Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag (local football team)
- List of towns in the Faroe Islands
External links and source
- Faroeislands.dk: Klaksvík Faroeislands.dk
- Tourist information
- (Faroese & English) www.klaksvik.fo Klaksvík's web site