Mykines ( Faroese: /ˈmɪtʃiˌnɛs/; ) is the only settlement on Mykines Island, the westernmost of the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. It is a little coastal village with bright houses with turf roofs, with an old turf-roofed stone Church dating from 1878, and a small stream flowing through the village.

Population

The population reached about 179 in 1925 and was still 150 in 1953. Since then it has decreased, and it now fluctuates during the year with a permanent population of around twenty people being supplemented during summer when families who used to live on the island return to their houses for the summer vacation.

Transport

Land

Mykines Island has no roads: access to other parts of the island is on foot, using well-used footpaths. All though Mykines village, does have asphalted streets, there aren’t any conventional cars on the islands. Residents usually rely on

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...

s to transport heavier goods around the village.

Sea

The village has a small harbour, though the regularity of ferry services can be disrupted by inclement weather. A small ferry visits one to three times a day from 1 May to 31 August and again in one week of October, when the Faroese schools have a holiday (and only if the weather allows it). The ferry is run by a private company and not like the other ferries by the public bus and ferry company

Strandfaraskip Landsins Strandfaraskip Landsins is the government agency for public transport in the Faroe Islands. It is owned by the Faroese national government under the Ministry of Finance (''Fíggjamálaráðið'') and runs seven ferry routes and a number of bu ...

(SSL). Every year boat owners can make an offer to SSL in order to run the ferry to Mykines. In 2015 there was one boat called M/B Jósup, which transported tourists and locals from

Sørvágur :''There is also a town called Vágur on Suðuroy.'' Sørvágur () is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands. It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður. Sørvágur is the largest village in Sørvágur Municipality. ...

to Mykines and back again. During winter there is no ferry service, only helicopter service. From the harbour a steep footpath leads up to the village, but there is also a simple

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

for goods transport. Some cruise ships visit Mykines, but they need to anchor at sea and use small boats to get ashore.

Air

It is possible to reach Mykines three to four times a week by helicopter operated by

Atlantic Airways Atlantic Airways (, Faroese language, Faroese: Atlantsflog) is the national airline of the Faroe Islands, operating domestic helicopter services and international passenger services as well as search and rescue responsibilities from its base a ...

: Sunday, Wednesday and Fridays. In June, July and August it is also possible to take the helicopter to Mykines on Mondays. They go from Vágar Airport to Mykines and back. When there is no boat, it is not possible for residents to leave Mykines and come back same day. There is a simple helipad at Mykines.

Climate

Mykines has a

Tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''ET''), an oddity in most of the Faroe Islands, which mostly has a

Subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

(

''Cfc'').

People from Mykines

The first professional Faroese painter, S. J. Mikines was born in the village and drew inspiration from Mykines.

Facilities

A blue house at the entrance to the village bears a sign ''Kristianshús'' - the house is part guest house and part hostel. The rooms are small, the staircase steep and the hallways are narrow, but the accommodation is good. Kristianshús can accommodate up to forty people, with six double rooms, three rooms with three beds, two rooms with four beds and a dormitory with six beds. Meals, beer and wine are served in the cafeteria and

packed lunch A packed lunch (also called pack lunch, sack lunch or brown-bag lunch in North America) is a lunch which is prepared before arriving at the place where it is to be eaten. Typically, it is prepared at home or at a hotel, or produced commerciall ...

es can be ordered. The local speciality is fried

puffins Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

. The cafeteria has an attic room in which S. J. Mikines used to paint. Alternative accommodation is provided at Gula Husid.

Economy

The economy is based on sheep farming and on tourism.

History

A brief history of Mykines can be summarised as follows: *625 -

pollen analysis Palynology is the study of microorganisms and microscopic fragments of mega-organisms that are composed of acid-resistant organic material and occur in sediments, sedimentary rocks, and even some metasedimentary rocks. Palynomorphs are the mic ...

indicates

oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural). Oats appear to have been domesticated as a secondary crop, as their seed ...

and

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

were grown on Mykines, possibly by early settlers such as

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s and

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

s *1538 - the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

under King

Christian III of Denmark Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

*1592 - Peter Claussøn Friis, a Norwegian priest, described the Faroese

mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...

as a distinct species, and the Mykines mouse as a subgroup having especially long powerful hind legs *1595 - (approx) on 25 April, fifty boats were shipwrecked in a sudden storm and all the working men of Mykines lost their lives (estimated 200 to 300 men) *1667 - Dutch ship ''Walcheren'' was wrecked on Mykines and the islanders gained goods from the ship *1757 - a man lost his life birding *1769 - records show 61 inhabitants on Mykines *1792 - two men from Mykines lost their lives birding, possibly through being roped together; the practice of roping men together was discontinued after this *1801 - population 74 in 17 houses *1819 - a ship abandoned by its crew drifted ashore and the people got some timber *1845 - population 99 in 19 houses *1862 - (approx) the first

fulmar The fulmars are tube-nosed seabirds in the family Procellariidae. The family includes two extant species, and two extinct fossil species from the Miocene. Fulmars superficially resemble gulls, but are readily distinguished by their flight on s ...

chicks were caught and eaten *1863 - Church was destroyed by a storm *1877 - Church again destroyed by a storm *1879 - new Church completed and consecrated *1890 - population 154 *1892 - two young men lost their lives birding. About this time, adult fulmars started to be caught for food *1895 - 26 January a boat from Mykines was shipwrecked and all six men on board lose their lives *1896 - Mykines school opened *1906 - famous painter S J Mikines was born on 22 February, baptised Samuel Elias Frederik Joensen, but later changed his name to Mikines *1909 - building of the

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on Mykines Holm and construction of the first bridge over Holmgjogv, the narrow strait between Mykines and Mykines Holm *1911 - 1 October Mykines made its own

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

with 3 members on the town council *1925 - population 179, with 27 pupils in the school *1927 - the first swimming pool on the Faroes was built on Mykines, just downstream of the waterfall in the north-east part of the village. Poul N. Pedersen, the school teacher, was the driving force behind the project, and he organised sport competitions on the island *1927 -

telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

service proposed but considered too expensive; an alternative facility via a communications link between the lighthouses on Mykines and Nolsoy was agreed *1928 -

radio beacon In navigation, a radio beacon or radiobeacon is a kind of beacon, a device that marks a fixed location and allows direction finding, direction-finding equipment to find relative Bearing (navigation), bearing. But instead of employing visible lig ...

s were installed at

Nólsoy Nólsoy (, previously also ''Nölsoy''; ; ) is an island and village in central Faroe Islands, 4km east of the capital Tórshavn in Streymoy. Description Nólsoy is the lowest of the Faroes; the highest point is Eggjarklettur (372 m) on the moun ...

and Mykines lighthouses, making

radio navigation Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio waves to geolocalization, determine a position of an object on the Earth, either the vessel or an obstruction. Like radiolocation, it is a type of Radiodetermination-satellite servi ...

possible for the first time, and Mykines got a telephone connection to the outside world *1934 - 7 8 March Mykines men were among the 43 casualties when two ships from

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), 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 th ...

were shipwrecked off

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. A memorial stands above the village. *1939 - a memorial listing Mykines people lost at sea was consecrated and can be seen in the Church *1940 - first signs of

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

: unknown aircraft sighted. British military ordered all lighthouses to be switched off. Population 120. *1941 - three air attacks damaged the lighthouse on Mykines Holm; assistant lighthouse keeper was wounded and was treated in Tórshavn hospital. The radio station was out of action for a short period *1942 - in spring British forces completed a radar station on á Ólakletti in Liðarhaugi. In September a mine drifted ashore on Mykines, exploded and damaged some boathouses *1943 - the first wavebreakers at the landing-place was built, entirely from hand-mixed

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

*1945 - 17 May: lighthouses were switched on again and the radio transmission on Mykines and Nolsoy was resumed *1950 - the second (outer) wavebreaker was built, again from hand-mixed concrete *1953 - the second bridge over Holm Gjogv was built. Population about 150. *1959 - a man fell to his death while sheep herding *1961 - work started to build a ramp to haul the boats ashore in winter; the work extended over the summers of three years *1963 - a man fell to his death while sheep herding *1968 - Mykines power station was opened - the generators were started by the oldest inhabitant of Mykines at that time, Niclas Hansen, who was 94 years old *1968 - visit by Princess Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark *1970 - A

Fokker F27 Friendship The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...

, with registration TF-FIL, from Flugfélag Íslands on flight from

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

to Vágar Airport, crashed in bad weather on Mykines on 26 September. The captain and 7 passengers, all seated on the left side of the plane, where killed instantly. 26 passengers and crew survived, some with serious injuries. Three passengers hiked for an hour to reach Mykines village to alert the authorities. Most of the villagers went up the mountain to aid the survivors before the arrival of the Danish patrol vessel F348 Hvidbjørnen. A marble memorial was placed in the Church. *1970 - Mykines lighthouse was automated and the last man moved from the Holm, which had been occupied continuously from 1909 by a varying population of up to 22 people (including children). *1971 -

Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...

Alouette helicopter brought

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

mail on 23 December since no boat had been able to land for some time due to bad weather. The helicopter engine failed so the crew stayed for Christmas. Mechanics flew in from Denmark on 28 December in two

Sikorsky S-61 The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, SH-3 Sea King military helicopter. They were developed and produced by the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The commercial version of the Sea King ...

helicopters and repaired the Alouette. One Sikorsky could not leave because of technical problems, but the other two helicopters left on 2 January. *1979-80 - new radio beacon and telecommunications facility constructed high on the island; materials transported by helicopter *1981 - trial of scheduled passenger transportation by helicopter between July and October *1981 -

Anker Jørgensen Anker Henrik Jørgensen (13 July 1922 – 20 March 2016) was a Danish politician who served at various times as prime minister and foreign minister of Denmark. Between 1972 and 1982 he led five cabinets as prime minister. Jørgensen was presiden ...

, Prime Minister of Denmark, visited the island by helicopter on 20 August *1983 - permanent scheduled passenger flights between the smaller islands started and has continued ever since *1987 - a new ferry boat came into service - called ''Sulan'' like its 1927 predecessor *1989 - the third bridge between Mykines and Mykines Holm came into use in June *1990 - roads in Mykines village were

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

ed *1990 - Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Prince Henrik visited on 20 June *1991 - three men lost their lives in a shipwreck south of Mykines *1992 - hotel Kristianshus was inaugurated on 17 May; forty people were flown to Mykines by helicopter for the reception, including the Faroese minister for tourism *1999 -

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Poul Oluf Nyrup Rasmussen (, informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943) is a retired Danish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) from ...

, Prime Minister of Denmark, and Jonathan Motzfeldt, the

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

ic "landsstyreformand" visited Mykines on 9 August *2001 - the

ic president and the Faroese "lagmand" visited Mykines

References

{{reflist Populated places in the Faroe Islands