Gásadalur

Gásadalur
Village
View of Gásadalur from the west
Gásadalur
Location in the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°6′44″N 7°26′5″W / 62.11222°N 7.43472°W / 62.11222; -7.43472Coordinates: 62°6′44″N 7°26′5″W / 62.11222°N 7.43472°W / 62.11222; -7.43472
State  Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country  Faroe Islands
Island Vágar
Municipality Sørvágur
Population (1 January 2012)
 • Total 18
Time zone GMT
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (EST)
Postal code FO 387
Climate Cfc

Gásadalur (Danish: Gåsedal) is a village located on the west side of Vágar, Faroe Islands, and enjoys a panoramic view over to the island of Mykines.

The Tunnel of Gásadalur, Oct 2005

Gásadalur is located on the edge of Mykinesfjørður, surrounded by the highest mountains on Vágar. Árnafjall towers to a height of 722 metres to the north, and Eysturtindur to the east is 715 metres high. Here too, the view south to Tindhólmur and Gáshólmur is quite magnificent.

The landing site is very poor, because it is located somewhat higher than the seashore. So if the residents wanted to fish they were obliged to keep their boats near Bøur. In 1940, during the British occupation of the Faroe Islands, a stairway was built from the beach up to the village.

In order to reach any of the other villages, they had to take the strenuous route over mountains more than 400 metres high. This explains why the village population has become smaller and smaller. In 2002 there were only sixteen people living in Gásadalur, and several of the houses stand empty today. It had a population of 18 in 2012.[1]

In 2004 a tunnel was blasted through the rock, and it is possible to drive through by car. The residents hope this will mean that the village population will increase again. There are good opportunities for farming, and the same number of fields as in Bøur, but here only a few are royal estate. Most of them are freehold land.

Etymology

There is a story that the village was named after a woman called Gæsa, who came from Kirkjubøur. She had eaten meat during the Lent fast, and for this unholy deed all her property was confiscated. She fled to the valley on Vágar, which was named after her. Most other village stories are about spirits and elves.

A more likely explanation is that Gásadalur (Goose Valley) is named after the wild geese, which from ancient times have travelled to the valley.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Fólkatal Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine. - Municipality website
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