Architecture in the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are very unique. There are steep rocks, fogs, waterfalls, wooden houses with grass on the roof, whales, langoustines, sheep and harsh Atlantic. The geographical location of the Faroe Islands is most easily described by the English expression “in the middle of nowhere”. These Islands are a rather unusual and beautiful place. They are famous for their uniqueness. People usually go here to rest and gain strength, get aesthetic pleasure and feel important in this world. Everything is interesting here. There are a lot of unusual kinds of animals, plants. One of the most beautiful things here is an architecture in the Faroe Islands.
On the islands, everything is very compact and in a good sense of the word rustic. The capital of the Faroe Islands, Torshavn, is located on Streimoy Island. It is built up with low houses, there are only 3 traffic lights, and the personal number of the prime minister can be found in the phone book. Torshavn – a port city named after the god Thor, the main local attractions are the 15th century monastery Munkastovan, the Historical Museum, the cultural center – The house of the northern people, and the old town with houses of the XIV century.
The architecture in the Faroe Islands is unusual. In the old days, houses on the Faroe Islands were erected from tarred dark wood, and roofs were covered with turf with grass. Today, the government monitors the preservation of a single architectural style and new houses are built exactly the same. Most of the historical churches on the islands have been preserved since the nineteenth century, all of them wooden and with original carvings.
On the Faroe Islands, there is no particular preference for any particular kind of architecture. There are more than 120 towns, where residential buildings are built more and more in the typical style. On the islands, an overwhelming number of territories are occupied by villages. In these islands, houses are built following the example of Icelandic village houses.
Since ancient times, architecture in the Faroe Islands has a large number of churches in the style of the Middle Ages. The western church of Torshavn is the tallest building on the islands.
Houses here are usually built in one style. Even if they are new, they mimic the old ones. That’s why everything here is so harmonious. Cities and villages seem to be a single whole.
During the trip to the islands, you must pay attention to the fact that almost all the roofs here are covered not with tiles or slate. It is as usual covered with layers with green grass. Such a roof began to be used by the islanders over a thousand years ago, and today it has become the symbol of the Faroe Islands. Grass, fastening the roots of a small layer of soil, provides reliable protection from rain and thermal insulation.  The grassy roof of the architecture in the Faroe Islands is traditional, like black. Initially, the walls were painted with tar to keep the heat better. Now they paint with paint, but many preserve the color as a tribute to tradition. The doors are always different, of a contrasting color. But there are other colors – blue, for example. Or red, more traditional. Residents of the Faroe Islands are trying to make their cloudy cities as bright as possible: they paint in active colors of the house, they outline the window with white paint, plant flowers.
If you are interested in the architecture in the Faroe Islands – welcome. It is easy to get aesthetic pleasure there and enjoy the system of buildings that seem to be one whole. You will never regret your journey there.