Hov is a village located on
Suduroy's east coast, in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
; it is frequently mentioned in the country's history.
Salmon sea farming has been practiced in Hov since the 1980s. North of Hov along the old road to Øravík are interesting basalt columns that march along the hills.
The Church
The wooden
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
in Hov was originally built in
Vágur
Vágur meaning ''Bay'' ( da, Våg) is a town on the island of Suðuroy, part of the Faroe Islands
It is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and was founded in the fourteenth century. Expansion has meant that the ...
on
Kirkjukletti in 1862. It was moved to Hov in 1942. A new church was built in Vágur, it was ready in 1939, after that they could start to take down the old church and move it to Hov, as it was promised 25 years earlier in 1914.
Hovstunnilin - The Hov-Øravík tunnel
In 2007, the road tunnel "Hovstunnilin" opened. In addition to connecting the villages of Hov and
Øravík
Øravík (also spelled Ørðavík, da, Ørdevig) is a village on the east coast of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands.
The village is located in the center of the island on a crossroad where the road to Fámjin goes towards west over ...
, it connects the southern and the northern parts of the island. It is no longer necessary to drive over the mountain, which can be difficult in wintertime. Now, it takes only 15 minutes to drive from
Tvøroyri
Tvøroyri is a village on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy island in the Faroe Islands. Together with Froðba, Trongisvágur, Líðin and Øravík it forms Tvøroyri Municipality.
The village is considered ...
to
Vágur
Vágur meaning ''Bay'' ( da, Våg) is a town on the island of Suðuroy, part of the Faroe Islands
It is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and was founded in the fourteenth century. Expansion has meant that the ...
. The tunnel is 2.5 km (or 1.55 mi) long.
Viking History - Viking Chief Havgrímur
According to the Faroese Sagas and local tradition, the first
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
settler on
Suðuroy
Suðuroy (literally South Island, da, Suderø) is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi). In 2018 the population was 4,601. Suðuroy region (sýsla) comprises this island and Lítla ...
established a farm in Hov, which is said to be named after his pagan ''
hof''. His grave is at "
undir Homrum" in Hov and is the only chieftain burial site to be found on the Faroes. Hov lies in the middle of the island and the area is flat and wide with a good view out to sea. This enabled Suðuroy's first settlers to follow exactly what was happening on the sea around.
The
viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
Havgrímur who was chief of half of the country lived in Hov in the 10th century.
His burial plot is located in the hills above the village, but was largely destroyed when opened in by amateur archaeologists in 1834.
The area west of Hov
West of Hov is a waterfall with the name
Foldarafossur. It lies in
Hovsá, which runs from
Vatnsnes
Vatnsnes () is a peninsula jutting into Húnaflói in northern Iceland. It is surrounded by waters of Miðfjörður on the west and Húnafjörður on the east. It is home to one of the largest seal colonies in Iceland, among others at Hindisv ...
and is the line of demarcation between the villages of
Porkeri
Porkeri ( da, Porkere) is a village in the Faroe Islands, situated northeast of Vágur on Suðuroy's east coast.
As of 2020 it had a population of 318, and it has been inhabited at least as early as the 14th century.
History
Tradition says that ...
and Hov. The waterfall is formed at the place where Hovsá runs over the edge at Foldarshamri, and a bit further to the south there is a mountain pass which is called Foldarsskarð. These three place names all have the same origin, and linguists think that the name comes from the soil (in Faroese also foldin) below these localities.
Approx. 30 years ago, the electricity company SEV commenced construction work in
Hovsdal, so that the hydropower could be converted into electricity, and a dam was built approx. ½ km west of Foldarafoss. Therefore, the waterfall does not have the same power as before, but if it rains a lot, and water flows out over the dam, the waterfall may show some of its old power.
Myri Museum - The Old Shop
There is an old building down in the harbour of Hov, which now is a museum, an art gallery and a café. The eastern part of the house is called Fiskastovan. The western part of the house has been a shop until sometime in 1980s. Other parts of the house and the area around it has been used for clip fish industry, the fish was dried outside the house on the flat stones. A white flag was raised in order to let people in the village know when there was work for them. That was before the phone was a possibility. The house was in bad shape a few years ago, but now it has been restored. Some interesting items and old books with peoples names and how much they earned etc. are still in the house. The house was first located in Vágur, but it was moved to Hov, just like the church was. Fiskastovan á Mýri is used for many different purposes: Art exhibitions, café, small concerts, lectures, dinner for groups etc.
Gallery
Image:Hov 8 (Faroe Islands).jpg, Basalt formations, ''"The old women"'', north of Hov in Hovsegg
Image:Hov.1.jpg, Church of Hov
File:Hov.9.jpg, Hovsdalur, the valley of Hov, west of the village
Image:Hov 4 (Faroe Islands).jpg, The harbour of Hov and the Old Shop
Image:Faroe stamp 347 waterfalls.jpg, Waterfalls: Foldarafossur, Postverk Føroya
Posta is the postal service of the Faroe Islands and was founded on 1 April 1976 under the Home Rule of the Faroe Islands. On 16 December 2005, it became a public joint stock company under the name P/F Postverk Føroya (retroactive from 1 Januar ...
See also
*
List of towns in the Faroe Islands
This is a list of villages (and towns) of the Faroe Islands. :fo:Býir í Føroyum :de:Liste der Städte und Orte auf den Färöern
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Towns In The Faroe Islands
Towns
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Isla ...
References
External links
Faroeislands.dk: HovImages and description of all cities on the Faroe Islands.
Myrimuseum.com The Mýri Museum and Café Fiskastovan.
Hov.fo The Municipality of Hov.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hov
Populated places in the Faroe Islands
Municipalities of the Faroe Islands
Suðuroy