Skansin is a historic fortress in
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
, the capital of 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 ...
.
Skansin is located on a hill beside the port of Tórshavn. The fort was built in 1580 by
Magnus Heinason
Magnus Heinason (Mogens Heinesøn) (1548 – 18 January 1589) was a Faroese naval hero, trader and privateer.
Magnus Heinason served William the Silent and his son Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange for 10 years as a privateer, fighting t ...
to protect against pirate raids of the town, after he himself was nearly caught up in one such raid. The fort was expanded considerably in 1780 and went through a series of rebuilds for many years afterwards. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the fort served Britain as a military base. Two 5.5 inch guns date from the British occupation, standing along with many older Danish cannons.
One of the Faroese lighthouses, the Skansin Lighthouse (Skansin international lighthouse), towers over the fortress, pointing the way to the capital. The strategic location of the fort offers views of Tórshavn port, surrounding landscape and views out towards
Nólsoy Nólsoy (previously also ''Nölsoy''; da, Nolsø; non, Norsey) is an island and village in central Faroe Islands, 4 km east of the capital Tórshavn in Streymoy.
Description
Nólsoy is the lowest of the Faroes; the highest point is Eggjark ...
island.
Gallery
File:Skansin lighthouse.jpg, Skansin lighthouse
File:Skansin cannons.jpg, Old cannons at Skansin
See also
*
British occupation of the Faroe Islands
The British occupation of the Faroe Islands during World War II, also known as Operation Valentine, was implemented immediately following the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. It was a small component of the roles of Nordic countries in Wo ...
External links
(Source) - Forts of the Faroe IslandsFaroeislands.dk - Foto
{{coord, 62, 00, 29, N, 6, 45, 47, W, region:FO_type:landmark_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title
Tórshavn
History of the Faroe Islands
Military installations of Denmark
Military installations closed in the 1940s