Skopun (pronounced ; da, Skopen) is a town 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 ...

situated on the northern coast of

Sandoy Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...

. Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun.

History

Although the area has been inhabited since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Skopun was not founded until 1833. The people of Skopun did not possess any land. They subsisted on fishing, so the houses were built close to the water. In 1897, Skopun's church was constructed out of timber taken from the old church of

Vestmanna Vestmanna is a town in the Faroe Islands on the west of the island of Streymoy. It was formerly a ferry port, until an undersea tunnel, the Vágatunnilin, was built from Vágar to Kvívík and Stykkið further south on Streymoy. The cliffs w ...

. The Faroe Islands' first road was built on Sandoy in 1917, as part of a government-financed plan to improve the island's non-existent harbour facilities. It connects Skopun with Sandur, the island's main town. Skopun's harbour was built in 1926 and later extended. In 1982, the harbour was furnished with a gate which protects the dock from the sea. A 1988 hurricane destroyed the town's small wood. A car ferry used to connect Skopun with the capital,

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 ...

. Today, the ferry goes to the newly constructed port of

Gamlarætt Gamlarætt is a ferry port in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the southwestern side of the island of Streymoy, the largest island in the Faroes, between the villages of Velbastaður and Kirkjubøur. It accommodates ferry services to the isl ...

, located on the south-west coast of

Streymoy Streymoy ( da, Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also i ...

People from Skopun

Peter Mohr Dam Peter Mohr Dam (11 August 1898 – 8 November 1968) was a Faroe Islands politician who was one of the founders of the Social Democratic Javnaðarflokkurin party in 1926. Born on 11 August 1898, in Skopun, Faroe Islands, Dam became a teacher i ...

, prime minister * Gerhard Lognberg, politician *

Niels Winther Poulsen Niels Christoffer Winther Poulsen (October 3, 1902 – March 19, 1990) was a Faroese teacher and politician for the Home Rule Party ( fo, Sjálvstýrisflokkurin). Poulsen was born in Skopun. He graduated as a teacher from the Jonstrup Normal ...

, educator and politician *

Sakaris Stórá Sakaris Stórá (born 28 July 1986 in Skopun) is a Faroese film director and screenwriter. In December 2012 he won the first public Faroese film award, Geytin. Biography Sakaris Stórá was born and grew up in the small village of Skopun on the ...

, film director

Gallery

Image:Skopun (1).JPG, The village of Skopun Image:Skopun (2).JPG, View over Skopun Image:Skopun and Hestur.JPG, View from Skopun northwards over the

Hestur Hestur ( da, Hestø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, to the west of Streymoy and the south of Koltur. ''Hestur'' means ''horse'' in Faroese. On the west coast is a guillemot colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes, ...

Image:Skopun (5).JPG, The

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

"Teistin", connecting Skopun on

with

References

External links

Skopun, information and pictures
on Faroe Islands.dk

on Skopun, Faeroe Islands Page {{DEFAULTSORT:Skopun Municipalities of the Faroe Islands Populated places in the Faroe Islands Sandoy Populated places established in 1833 Ports and harbours of the Faroe Islands 1833 establishments in the Danish colonial empire

History

People from Skopun

See also

Gallery

References

External links