Leirvík

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Location of Leirvík in the Faroe Islands.

Leirvík or Lorvík [ ˈlɔɹvʊik ] ( Danish name : Lervig ) is a place in the Faroe Islands on Leirvíksfjørður on the east coast of the second largest island, Eysturoy . The place belongs to the Faroese municipality Eysturkommuna . In 2011, 876 people lived in Leirvík. The postcode of the place is FO-520.

history

Leirvík with a view over Leirvíksfjørður .
Excavations in Leirvík

Excavations in the district of Toftanes show that this place was settled by Vikings since the 9th century . The foundation walls of a Viking settlement are still there. Wooden crosses found during the excavations were dated to the period from 860 to 970 AD and thus contradict the conversion of the Faroe Islands to Christianity, which has been handed down in written sources.

The place is mentioned for the first time in writing in the dog letter written between 1350 and 1400 , which has been preserved together with a copy of the sheep letter in Kongsbókin . The name Leirvík is derived from the Old Norse words leir for loam or clay and vík for a bay. Leirvík therefore means something like "clay bay".

It is said that all residents died of the plague in 1349 .

The place viewed from Leirvíksfjørður.

After the Reformation in 1538, the previously existing church in Leirvík was given up. The place, which belonged to Fuglafjørður until 1906 , only got its own church again that year.

It is also reported that Leirvík was visited by a smuggler's ship in 1725 and that local men who had come into contact with the ship's crew while shopping for goods contracted smallpox . Since a wedding took place in the village shortly after the visit, almost the entire place was infected and most of the population subsequently succumbed to the disease. However, the place was quickly repopulated as most of the land was owned by the king. In 1801, 85 people were living in the village again.

Leirvíks Páll

The Faroese poet Jens Christian Djurhuus (1773-1853) wrote a now well-known 65-verse song at the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, which tells about a Páll from Leirvík and his experiences on a hike to Velbastaður .

Current time

Leirvík overlooking the harbor.

The place formed after the separation from Fuglafjørður at the beginning of the 20th century, the commune of the same name Leirvík , which consisted only of this one place. In a local referendum, however, it was decided to merge the former municipalities of Leirvík and Gøta . Since January 1, 2009, they have therefore jointly formed the new municipality of Eysturkommuna .

Leirvík is a fishing and shipyard location . The Föroya Bjór brewery has a large depot here. In the past, Leirvík was also an important ferry port to Klaksvík . In 2003, however, construction began on the 6.3 km long Norðoyatunnilin ( North Island Tunnel ) to Klaksvík, which has replaced the ferry service between Leirvík and Klaksvík since it was commissioned in April 2006.

In the 1970s, a small forest was created not far from Leirvík in the Uppi á Brekkum area . With a size of 0.76 hectares, it is one of the smallest forests in the Faroe Islands.

There is also a small boat museum in Leirvík, where old Faroe boats are exhibited. There is also a football club on site, the LÍF Leirvík .

Personalities

See also

Web links

Commons : Leirvík  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Religion in the Viking Age , stamps.fo
  2. ↑ Vóru føroyingar kristnir áðrenn ár 1000? , kvf.fo
  3. ↑ Steffen Stummann Hansen, John Sheehan: The Leirvik bonhústoftin and the Early Christianity of the Faroe Islands, and beyond , academia.edu, page 50
  4. ↑ Hvussu gomul er bygdin , heimabeiti.fo (in Faroese)
  5. ↑ Bygdir - Sett av óstemplaðum frímerkjum: Tríggjar miðalstórar bygdir í Eysturoy. , stamps.fo (in Faroese)
  6. ↑ Jens Chr. Djurhuus (1773-1853) , snar.fo
  7. ↑ LorvíksPáll , Eysturoyar dansifelag, eystdans.dk

Coordinates: 62 ° 13 ′  N , 6 ° 42 ′  W