Miðvágur
| Miðvágur Midway | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
.JPG) | |
  Miðvágur Location in the Faroe Islands | |
| Coordinates: 62°03′04″N 7°11′38″W / 62.05111°N 7.19389°WCoordinates: 62°03′04″N 7°11′38″W / 62.05111°N 7.19389°W | |
| State |
 Kingdom of Denmark |
| Constituent country |
 Faroe Islands |
| Island | Vágar |
| Municipality | Vága kommuna |
| Population (1 January 2006) | |
| • Total | 1,045 |
| ZIP code | FO-370 |
Miðvágur (Danish: Midvåg, English: Midway) is a village in the Faroe Islands on Vágar. It has been a municipality until 1 January, 2009 when it fused with Sandavágur into Vága kommuna.
Located on the south coast of the island of Vágar, Miðvágur is the largest town on this Faroese island. For years, Miðvágur has been known as a good location for whaling and traditionally, bells would ring with the cry "Grindaboð!" - "Pilot whale ahoy!"
History
Miðvágur has been inhabited since at least the Viking period—as excavations have demonstrated. Since these early times, there has been a local "Thingstätte"(local community council), or "Várting". The most interessting building of the village is Kálvalíð, a house which was probably built at the end of the Middle Ages. It is the oldest building of the village and possibly of the whole Faroe Islands. Kálvalíð consists of two rooms with a turf roof, built in the traditional faroese style. Today it houses a museum.
Sports
The local football team is MB (Miðvágs Bóltfelag), founded in January 1905.
People of note from Miðvágur
- Beinta Broberg (1667–1752), a pastor's wife, and believed to be the model for the main character of Barbara, the best—known Faroese novel.
- Jens Christian Svabo (1746–1824), a pastor's son, who contributed greatly to the modern concept of a Faroese written language, working to standarize grammar and spelling and created a Faroese dictionary. Svabo also collected a variety of folk-tales and historical examples of the spoken dialect of Faroese on Miðvágur.
- Greta Svabo Bech, Faroese singer
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miðvágur. |