Skopun

Skopun
Municipality and village
Location of Skopun Municipality in the Faroe Islands
Skopun Location of Skopun village in the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 61°54′45″N 6°52′19″W / 61.91250°N 6.87194°W
State	Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country	Faroe Islands
Island	Sandoy
Municipality	Skopun Municipality
Founded	1833
Population (1 January 2006)
• Total	484
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	WEST (UTC+1)
Postal code	FO 240
Climate	Cfc
Website	Skopun

Skopun (pronounced [skopn]; Danish: Skopen) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy (Sand Island).

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, Skopun was not founded until 1833.^[1] The people of Skopun did not possess any land. They subsisted on fishing so the houses are close to the water.

In 1897, Skopun's church was constructed out of timber taken from the old church of Vestmanna. The Faroe Islands' first road was built on Sandoy in 1917,^[2] 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 harbor was built in 1926 and later extended. In 1982, the harbor was furnished with a gate which protects the dock from the sea. A 1988 hurricane destroyed the town's small forest.

A car ferry used to connect Skopun with the capital, Tórshavn. Today, the ferry goes to the newly constructed port of Gamlarætt, located on the south coast of Streymoy.

People from Skopun

• Peter Mohr Dam, prime minister
• Gerhard Lognberg, politician
• Niels Winther Poulsen, educator and politician
• Sakaris Stórá, film director

See also

• List of towns in the Faroe Islands

Gallery

• 
  The village of Skopun
• 
  View over Skopun
• 
  View from Skopun northwards over the Skopunarfjørður to Hestur
• 
  The ferry Teistin, connecting Sandoy with Streymoy calls at Skopun.

References

1. Wylie, Jonathan (1987). The Faroe Islands: Interpretations of History. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 120. ISBN 0-8131-1578-7.
2. Proctor, James (2008). Faroe Islands. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 136. ISBN 1-84162-224-9.

External links

• Skopun, information and pictures on Faroe Islands.dk
• Maps, airports, & weather on Skopun, Faeroe Islands Page

Coordinates: 61°54′45″N 6°52′19″W / 61.91250°N 6.87194°W