Fámjin ( da, Famien) is a village located on the western side of Suðuroy, the southernmost island in

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 ...

. Fámjin is looking directly out to the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

Name

Geography

The village of Fámjin faces the ocean, although partly protected by a stone reef, which becomes visible at low tide. The village is surrounded by some of the highest mountains on Suðuroy. The highest mountain, Gluggarnir is located north of Fámjin. The mountains Borgarknappur and Borgin are south-east of the village. There are several inland lakes and waterfalls. One of the waterfalls is named Fossurin Mikli. Only one road leads to the village, it goes through

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 ...

. North of the village lies the “

Kirkjuvatn Kirkjuvatn is a lake in Suðuroy, 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 ...

” (Church Lake), one of the largest on the island. The old mountain path between Fámjin and Vágur was originally the main road between the two villages. There are cairns along the path. West of Fámjin by the end of the road is a gorge which is called Prestgjógv (The Priest's Gorge). Fámjin is 9 km west of

, which is on the west coast. Øravík is located on the east coast, around 3 km south of

Krambatangi Krambatangi is the ferry port of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. The ferry MS ''Smyril'' M/F disembarks 2–3 times daily from Krambatangi to Tórshavn. Krambatangi is located on the southern side of Trongisvágsfjørður halfway between Trongis ...

ferry port. The distance from Fámjin to

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 ...

is 16 km. The distance from Fámjin to Vágur is 29 km.

History

The church in Fámjin was built in 1875, it was ready to use in 1876. In the church there is a

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones d ...

from the 16th century (''see Fámjin stone'') (Faroese: Fámjinssteinurin). The stone bears both Latin and Runic letters. The stone is dated to the time after the Faroese reformation in 1538, and proves that runes were used up to as late as the 16th century. It is the youngest of the Faroese runestones. In the church is the prototype of the Faroese flag Merkið. This flag was made by Jens Oliver Lisberg from Fámjin and others while they were studying in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

in 1919. The first time "Merkið" was used in the Faroe Islands, was on June 22, 1919 in Fámjin, the occasion was a wedding. ''Merkið'' was not officially recognized in the beginning. However during

World War II 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 opposing ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

prohibited the use of the flag of Denmark on Faroese ships as

was at that time occupied by Germany. Therefore Merkið was run up on the ships instead. (April 25, 1940 is the official date of recognition) Not until the verification of the home rule act in 1948 was Merkið recognized as the official flag of the

Culture

Fámjin is well situated near rich fishing grounds. In the

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, which is well-protected by the natural environment, the fishing boats moor in the summer at a small

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...

. During the winter the boats are pulled in from the

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...

and kept in boat houses nearby. As in other villages both fishing and sheep farming is a part of the daily routine. The sheep are gathered and led to slaughter in October. During the summer months, however, the population increases significantly due to the many people from Fámjin who live in other villages on the Faroe Islands and in other countries, but return in the sheep herding and hay season, which takes place from the beginning of July to the end of August. This is the case in many small Faroese villages. The past years the number of tourists who visit the village has been increasing. The tourists come especially for one reason, they wish to see the original Faroese flag, Merkið, which is hanging inside the church. There are some houses for rent and a coffeeshop is next to the harbour. Tourists enjoy also to go for a walk up the hill behind the church to the lake

. The name means The Lake of the Church.

Gallery

File:Færøernes.flag.2.jpg, The prototype of the Faroese flag Merkið, which is hanging inside the church File:The Famjin Stone a Faroese Runestone.JPG, The Fámjin stone is a runestone located in the church of Fámjin File:Suðuroy.Fámjin.2.jpg, Fámjin and the area around it as seen from north File:Suðuroy.Fámjin.5.jpg, Tourists in the mountains south of Fámjin File:Kirkjuvatn. Fámjin.01.jpg, Kirkjuvatn

References

External links

Faroeislands.dk: Famjin
Images and description of all cities on the Faroe Islands.
Fámjin - a set on Flickr

Visitsuduroy.fo
The Tourist Information Center of Suðuroy. {{DEFAULTSORT:Famjin Populated places in the Faroe Islands Populated coastal places in the Faroe Islands Municipalities of the Faroe Islands Suðuroy