Skarð (pronounced ) is an abandoned village on the east coast of the island of

Kunoy Kunoy (meaning ''Woman island'', is an island located in the north-east of the Faroe Islands between Kalsoy to the west (with which there is no physical link) and Borðoy to the east (to which it is linked via a causeway). Settlements and transp ...

in the

Norðoyar The six islands in the northeast of the Faroe Islands are together referred to as Norðoyar, i.e. the Northern Isles ( da, Norderøerne). These Islands from west to east are Kalsoy, Kunoy, Borðoy, Viðoy, Svínoy and Fugloy. Klaksvík Klak ...

region of the

Faroes 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 betw ...

. Skarð means ''

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

''. On December 23, 1913, all seven able-bodied men of the village perished while out fishing in the village boat. In the following years, the surviving women and children left the village for

Haraldssund Haraldssund ( da, Haraldsund) is a settlement in the Faroe Islands, situated on the island of Kunoy. Haraldssund is located on the east coast of Kunoy and is connected to the village of Kunoy on the west coast by a tunnel. To the east, it is li ...

to the south. The last one left in 1919. One of the old boats from Skarð now hangs in the Christianskirkjan in

Klaksvík Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality. History The first se ...

. Two footpaths run to Skarð. One runs along the coast from Haraldssund; the other is a high mountain trail over the pass of Skarðsgjógv, from the west-coast village of

. The latter climbs about 600 metres and is a challenging route recommended for experienced mountain hikers only, though the villagers frequently used it to walk to Kunoy for church services.

People from Skarð

Símun av Skarði Símun av Skarði (3 May 1872 – 9 October 1942) was a Faroese poet, politician, and teacher. Biography Símun was born in the village of Skarð on Kunoy. In 1893, he entered the seminary in Tórshavn, which he graduated from as a teacher ...

(1872–1942), founder of the Faroese Folk High School. (Føroya Fólkaháskúli). * Anna Suffía Rasmussen (1876–1932), Símun's sister, educator and superintendent of the school.

References

*The information in this article is based on a translation of its German equivalent. Former populated places in the Faroe Islands {{faroes-geo-stub