Fugloy

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Fugloy
View from Viðareiði in the west to Fugloy
View from Viðareiði in the west to Fugloy
Waters Atlantic Ocean
Archipelago Faroe Islands
Geographical location 62 ° 20 '17 "  N , 6 ° 17' 40"  W Coordinates: 62 ° 20 '17 "  N , 6 ° 17' 40"  W.
Location of Fugloy
surface 11 km²
Highest elevation Club at
621  m
Residents 39 (January 1, 2011)
3.5 inhabitants / km²
main place Kirkja
Map of Fugloy
Map of Fugloy

Fugloy [ ˈfʊgːlɔi ] / [ ˈfʊgːlɪ ] ( Danish spelling : Fuglø , literally: Bird Island ) is the easternmost of the 18 islands in the Faroe Islands and belongs to the geographical region of the six northern islands . At the same time it has the status of an "outer island" ( see Útoyggjar ).

Fugloy is the smallest of the northern islands and is located in the far northeast of the archipelago. Together with the neighboring island Svínoy , from which Fugloy is separated by Fugloyarfjørður , it is served by the daily passenger ferry Ritan from Hvannasund to Viðoy . In addition, Fugloy is served by the Faroese helicopter route three times a week.

history

The island has been inhabited since the Viking Age. In 1930 230 people lived here. The population is now declining, not least because of the two unfavorable berths that hinder economic development. Hattarvík is specifically threatened with depopulation (only 5 old men lived in the village all year round in 2004), and Kirkja is also seriously thinking about how the place can be kept. In 2011 Kirkja had 22 inhabitants, Hattarvík 17.

There were efforts on the part of the state to stop this trend. In the 1960s, the islanders got electricity . In the 1980s, a road followed between the two places, which made the arduous hiking trail superfluous. How arduous this path is is perhaps illustrated by the fact that there is a church in both villages, so going to church on this path must often have been unreasonable. The mail from and to Hattarvík was, however, regularly carried by the country messenger.

Also in the 1980s a regular helicopter service was started by Strandfaraskip Landsins or later Atlantic Airways , which makes the supply largely independent of the capers of the weather and the sea. The ride on the Ritan passenger ferry is considered one of the "greatest adventures" one can experience in the Faroe Islands. Even when the weather is comparatively nice, the sea in Fugloyarfjørður is rough and dangerous. On December 7, 1941 , for example, the steamer SS Sauternes sank in Fugloyarfjørður .

Say of the floating island

Fugloy from the bird's eye view: View from the south on the southeast coast with Kirkja on the southern tip in the west and Hattarvík on the bay in the east. Faroese postage stamp from 1999.

Fugloy used to be thought of as a floating island . The Faroese philologist Jakob Jakobsen wrote:

Fugloy Island was originally a floating island. Several men rowed out to throw something made of steel at her to anchor the island to the seabed. But everything was in vain. Numerous trolls stood on the slopes of the island . They grabbed everything the men had thrown on the island and hurled it into the sea.
All the pastors in the country were gathered there . They were rowed out to the island and stared fixedly at it during the crossing so that it should not disappear again. One of the pastors stood at the front of the boat throwing a Bible ashore while all the other pastors kept an eye on the island.
Now the project succeeded. The men overcame the trolls and turned them all into tufts of grass. In the old days these tufts of grass were close to the slope near the village of Kirkja, but over time the surf has carried them all away.

Attempted coup in the 15th century

Another legend revolves around the three Floksmenn (bandits) of Fugloy who wanted to take control of the Faroe Islands in the 15th century . To do this, they raided a new church in Svínoy that was not yet consecrated at the time . There they were overwhelmed and then executed by being pushed over a cliff.

literature

  • Jakob Jakobsen : Færøske Folkesagn og Æventyr . Ed .: Samfund til Udgivelse af gammel nordisk Litteratur, Copenhagen: 1898–1901. (Legend of the floating island)
  • PO Hansen: Fuglø Odense: OAB-Tryk, 1983. (in Danish. 78 pages, all illustrated, partly in color, 22 × 30 cm)

Web links

Commons : Fugloy  - album with pictures, videos and audio files