- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1580 · 16th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Eysturoy, Faroe Islands
- Coordinates
- 62.0079°, -6.7631°
History
The fort was founded around 1580 by Magnus Heinason, a Faroese seafarer in the service of the Danish king, to defend Tórshavn against the pirates who often raided the islands. Over the following centuries the defences were rebuilt many times, and the fort owes its present shape to a reconstruction in the late 18th century. In 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars, British privateers caught the garrison off guard and plundered the town. When the British occupied the Faroes in April 1940, they set up the Royal Navy headquarters at Skansin, which remained here until the end of the war.
What to see
The fort occupies a grassy hill above the harbour, ringed by low ramparts of stone and turf. Old Danish cannon and two large British guns from the Second World War stand here, together with a lighthouse. A walk along the ramparts gives views of the harbour, the old Tinganes quarter and the neighbouring island of Nólsoy.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q1187793
Popularity: articles about this site in 15 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).