Kvivik

Kvívík is a village on the western coast of Streymoy where a stream reaches the sea, and beside that stream are the excavated stone foundations of a Viking-age farm: a longhouse about twenty metres long with a central hearth, and a byre alongside it that held around a dozen cattle. Part of the site had already been lost to the sea before excavation in the 1940s. The rest is laid out open beside the modern village.

History

Kvívík is one of the oldest settlements in the Faroes, and excavations here have uncovered the remains of Viking houses. Its oldest standing house dates from the 18th century, the present church from 1903, and the village has had a school since 1907; its rowing club's boat Junkarin has won several Faroese championships (Wikipedia, Kvívík).

What's there

• The longhouse foundations - a Viking-age hall about twenty metres long with its hearth.
• The byre - the adjoining cattle building of the same period.
• The shoreline position - the farm built right at the water, partly lost to erosion.
• The village - the modern settlement around the excavation.

When to go

May to September is most comfortable. The site is open ground and accessible year round. Storms have eroded the shore and continue to threaten it.

What to expect

The remains are low stone foundations with no reconstruction and little interpretation. Part of the site has already been lost to the sea. The visit takes half an hour.

Nearby

Leynar is north, and Torshavn is southeast.

Key facts