Sandur (Faroe Islands)

Sandur (meaning "sandy beach") is a village on the south coast of the island of Sandoy in the Faroe Islands. The Sandur hoard, dating to the end of the 11th century, suggests the long history of the village.

*Population: 599 (December 31 2004)
*Postal code: FO-210
*Municipality: Sands kommuna
*football club: B71

The "Municipality Sandur" consists of just the village of Sandur. Sandur is the most populous place on the "Sand Island". It is situated on a peninsula between the lakes Gróthúsvatn in the northwest and Sandsvatn in the northeast facing the inlets Grótvík and Sandsvágur in the south.

1000 years of history

Sandur is an old site of the thing where every year the local Várting was held.

Excavations here have unearthed a stave church from the 11th century, where today you can find a typical Faroese wooden church with grass roof. In 1988 the modern church suffered a devastating fire in which all of the church's silver melted. The fire turned out to be arson. However in the following year the church was restored, just in time for its 150th anniversary.

In 1863 while extending the churchyard a treasure of silver was foundconsisting of 98 coins from the 11th century, half of them of German origin("see": Sandur hoard).

Furthermore in 1989 archaeologists discovered a pagan burial ground from the times of Viking occupation. (See History of the Faroe Islands.) The burial included the well-preserved skeleton of a woman from the Faroe Islands in a grave 150cm long. The grave also included three beads of amber, a blue glass bead, and a knife.

In the open-air museum of the Danish national museum close to Copenhagen one can see a water-mill which originally, in the 18th century, was installed in Sandur.

The local museum Sands Bygdasavn is open in summer. It displays objects of everyday life belonging to the ancestors of the local inhabitants.

Transport and Tourism

Sandur can be reached from Tórshavn via the ferry ports Gamlarætt and Skopun. From there along the Sandsvatn on Road 30 to Sandur.

The campsite á Munkinum is the only one on Sandoy. That is why Sandur isfavoured by many visitors as a base during their stay on the island. In addition Sandsvatn and Gróthúsvatn are attractive places for fishing. The Hotel Ísansgarður is being reconstructed and closed at present (beginning 2005). The tourist information in Sandur ("see external links below") provides up-to-date information on private accommodation and holiday homes.

All villages on the island can be reached by bus from Sandur. They are therefore suitable for day trips. Due to the topography of the island walking-tours are suitable for casual strolling and cyclists. Popular trips are to Søltuvík on the west coast, Skarvanes in the south (with slightly more demanding hiking) and Húsavík on the east coast.

The small passenger only ferry MV Sildberin departs Sandur for Skúvoy, an island to the south. Particularly interesting is the tour in the faroese rowboat Hvíthamar from Sandur to the bird rocks on the west coast or to Skúvoy. Boatbuilder Jóan Petur Clementsen himself is rowing.

ee also

* List of towns in the Faroe Islands

External links

* [http://www.sandur.fo] Information and Pictures
* [http://www.visitsandoy.fo Visitsandoy.fo - Official Tourist Information pages in Sandur]