Klaksvík

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Klaksvík
[ ˈklakːsvʊik ]
( Danish Klaksvig )
Byskilt Færøerne black white.svg
Klaksvík on the Faroe Islands map
position 62 ° 13 '  N , 6 ° 35'  W Coordinates: 62 ° 13 '25 "  N , 6 ° 34' 42"  W.
Resident
rank 		4,565 (2011)
2
Commune Klaksvík
Post Code FO 700
Markatal 114
Grammar
dative (in / from ...)
genitive (after ...)
í / úr Klaksvík
til Klaksvíkar
Klaksvík logo
City map of Klaksvík (north is on the left)

Klaksvík [ ˈklakːsvʊik ] (older name Klakksvík , before that Vágur or í Vági ; Danish Klaksvig ) is the second largest city in the Faroe Islands and the center of the so-called North Islands . It has an area of ​​113 km².

It is the main location of the Faroe Islands fishing industry and is located on one of the best natural harbors in the country.

The municipality of Klaksvík was founded in 1908 and today, in addition to Klaksvík itself, also includes the towns of Ánirnar , Árnafjørður , Húsar , Mikladalur , Norðoyri , Svínoy , Syðradalur and Trøllanes . Together they had exactly 4817 inhabitants in 2011 with a population density of 43 inhabitants / km².

Sumba (Färöer) Vágur Porkeri Hov (Färöer) Fámjin Tvøroyri Hvalba Skúvoy Hvalba Húsavík (Färöer) Skálavík Sandur (Färöer) Skopun Tórshavn Sørvágur Vágar Vestmanna Kvívík Sunda kommuna Eiði Runavík Runavík Runavík Nes (Eysturoy) Sjóvar kommuna Eysturkommuna Klaksvík Húsar Fuglafjørður Kunoy Klaksvík Hvannasund Viðareiði Fugloy
Location of Klaksvíkar kommuna (after merging with Húsa kommuna in 2017)

Geography and name

Klaksvík is located on the island of Borðoy , the largest of the Faroese north islands . The city is located in a valley at the end of a small fjord between the mountains Myrkjanoyrarfjall (689 m), Háafjall (647 m), Hálgafelli (503 m) and the Klakkur (414 m), which the city owes its name to. Klakkur means protruding cliff , hilltop ; and vík means bay .

A resident is called a Klaksvíkingur (plural: Klaksvíkingar ).

  • View of Haraldssund and Kunoy Island (left)

  • Klaksvík is the second largest city in the Faroe Islands.

  • Háfjall (647 m) and Hálgafelli (503 m)

  • View from the harbor to the northern island of Kunoy with its mighty southern tip (703 m)

  • Klaksvík at night

history

Today's Klaksvík area has been inhabited in the Faroe Islands since the Viking Age, as excavations show. There was also a local thing site here , the so-called várting . The first records date from 1584. It shows that there were five districts here:

  • í Gerðum
  • á Myrkjanoyri
  • á Uppsølum
  • í Vági
  • á Norðoyri

Together they were called í Bø ("in the field") by the inhabitants of the North Islands and East Eysturoys . The rest of the Faroese knew it as í Vági or Norðuri í Vági ("in the north in the bay").

In the 19th century, the royal monopoly trade opened a branch here. In 1873, Klaksvík formed a commune with the rest of the north islands. In the 20th century, the districts grew together to form today's modern city. Klaksvík Commune has existed since 1908, which is considered the city's founding date. At that time the city had around 700 inhabitants.

In 1955 the Klaksvík uprising reached the international press when the residents prepared to use armed force to defend a doctor practicing here against his dismissal in order to underline the independence of the Faroe Islands.

The population was already over 4,000 at that time, after the city experienced enormous economic growth in the first half of the 20th century. In 1960 Klaksvík had become the most important fishing port in the Faroe Islands.

In the course of the amalgamation of municipalities, it is considered likely that Klaksvík will form a municipality again in the foreseeable future together with the rest of the northern islands, in which around 6,000 people will then live.

traffic

Klaksvík can be reached from the capital Tórshavn by land through the mountains of the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy . There you used to change to the car ferry in the port of Leirvík , which commuted to Klaksvík several times a day. In 2006 the North Island Tunnel between Leirvík and Klaksvík was completed. The bus ride from Tórshavn now takes about an hour and a half.

If you drive further north-east from Klaksvík, you reach the island Viðoy via a heaped dam and there to the northernmost place of the Faroe Islands, Viðareiði with the cape Enniberg behind . The island of Kunoy can also be easily reached via an embankment. The Sam ferry runs several times a day to the island of Kalsoy .

Culture and sights

One of the most famous sights of the city is the Christianskirkjan (Christian Church) from 1963. It has an approx. 4,000 year old baptismal font that was originally a pagan sacrificial basin in Denmark.

Not far from the church, at Klaksvíksvegur 86, you can visit the Norðoya Fornminnissavn Museum, which is housed in an old trading house from 1838. It houses among other things. an old pharmacy that was in operation until 1961. The large bronze relief “Børn og bátur (Children and Boat)” by the school on Skúlavegur Street is noteworthy. It is 1.7 × 4.6 m in size and was designed in 1976 by the Faroese artist Fridtjof Joensen (born 1920).

Another remarkable feature in Klaksvík is the Viðarlundin úti í Grøv forest in the southeast of the city on the road 752 to Norðoyri, a popular destination for excursions. It was laid out in 1980 and covers an area of ​​3.3 hectares. At the edge of the forest there is a stream where you can grill. Not far from there, the remains of the foundations of an oval building from the Viking Age can be seen in a meadow, which has not yet been excavated or restored. In January 2006, the forest was expanded considerably to the northeast beyond the 752 road: numerous trees were replanted, benches were set up and several paths were laid out. The forest now extends to a waterfall where you can swim. At the seaside, near the forest, there are the remains of an old open-air swimming pool and wall remains of a building from the Middle Ages.

Klaksvík has had its own regional newspaper , the Norðlýsið , since 1915 .

The Summarfestivalur music festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The KÍ Klaksvík football club is one of the most successful clubs in the Faroe Islands.

  • Christian Church (1963) with a free-standing bell carrier

  • Forest on the edge of Klaksvík. In the meadow the foundations of an oval building from the Viking Age

  • Klaksvík post office on a postage stamp from Postverk Føroya (graphic by Bárður Jákupsson )

economy

A small shipyard in the harbor

In addition to the fishing industry, Klaksvík is also home to the country's largest brewery : Föroya Bjór . Another brewery, Restorffs Bryggjarí , was in Tórshavn until 2007.

Personalities

See also

Web links

Commons : Klaksvík  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files