Roykstova

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The Roykstova ( Faroese , "smoke room") is the main room in the old farmhouse of the Faroe Islands . The opposite of the windowless Roykstova is the Glasstova .

construction

The Roykstova takes its name from the smoke that fills the room when the open fire burns in the middle of the room. There used to be just a simple hole in the roof above this fireplace before chimneys were introduced. That hole was the only window . All around the fire, benches are attached along the walls, which also have bulges for beds, so-called alcoves . The soil mostly consisted of tamped clay , less often of the precious wood that had to be imported. For this reason, peat was usually used for heating. This room was living space for all residents of the farm, while richer farmers often had a better room.

The construction of the Roykstova goes back to the Viking longhouse , which usually only had one room that was constructed in a similar way.

Socio-cultural function

Here you not only slept, but also prepared traditional Faroese cuisine and ate. The Faroese wool has been processed here for centuries into important export items such as stockings and cardigans.

In the meantime the old ballads were sung and the legends of the forefathers were told. In this way the Faroese language survived in oral tradition, and the Faroese chain dance was passed on from generation to generation because when the adults were busy with housework, they could only sing while the children were allowed to dance, which was otherwise not the norm.

Museums

Roykstovan is the specific shape, i.e. the smoking room. This name is best known for the museum room in Kirkjubøargarður , the royal farm of Kirkjubøur , which was formerly the seat of the Faroe Islands and dates back to the 11th century . The respective Roykstova in the farmhouse museums of Saksun , Eiði and Gøta is also known .

Others

There is also the cheap restaurant of the same name in Klaksvík , where the name Roykstova is supposed to suggest a special kind of cosiness. Last but not least, a popular music show in Útvarp is called Føroya Rokkstova - "Rock-Stube", probably based on the idea of ​​an evening meeting place where you sing and dance together.