Streymoy with Torshavn Attractions 
The largest island in the Farøes archipelago is Streymoy (Danish "Strømø"). On its southeast coast lies Tórshavn, the port and capital of the Faroes. It has only 15,000 inhabitants, making it the smallest capital in Scandinavia.
The oldest part of the town, with pretty little wooden houses, lies on a spit of land in the harbor area. At the tip of this peninsula, at Cape Tinganes, the Vikings established their first thingstead (legislative council), probably about 930. Near the peninsula stands a memorial to Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860-1904), who was born in Tórshavn and won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1903.
Also of interest is the fortress of Skansen (ca. 1580) near the harbor, from which in years gone by the entrance into the town was defended. In the National Museum, with its ethnological collections, etc., visitors can obtain information on the history and culture of the Faroes. The Maritime Museum is housed in a neighboring building.
The Art Gallery (Listaskálin Art Gallery) in the north of Tórshavn is pleasantly situated in parkland, including Viøalundin Park. "Nordic House", built in 1983 in the Scandinavian style, is a culture center where concerts, exhibitions and other events are held. Designed by the Norwegian architect Ola Steen, it was built of Norwegian stone, Swedish wood and Danish glass and steel. The furniture is from Finland, while the roof is made of materials contributed by Iceland. To celebrate its 10 years of existence a big cultural event was arranged in 1993, including an art exhibition with works by the Faroese artist Ingálvur av Reyni, who has also made a name for himself abroad.
The oldest part of the town, with pretty little wooden houses, lies on a spit of land in the harbor area. At the tip of this peninsula, at Cape Tinganes, the Vikings established their first thingstead (legislative council), probably about 930. Near the peninsula stands a memorial to Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860-1904), who was born in Tórshavn and won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1903.
Also of interest is the fortress of Skansen (ca. 1580) near the harbor, from which in years gone by the entrance into the town was defended. In the National Museum, with its ethnological collections, etc., visitors can obtain information on the history and culture of the Faroes. The Maritime Museum is housed in a neighboring building.
The Art Gallery (Listaskálin Art Gallery) in the north of Tórshavn is pleasantly situated in parkland, including Viøalundin Park. "Nordic House", built in 1983 in the Scandinavian style, is a culture center where concerts, exhibitions and other events are held. Designed by the Norwegian architect Ola Steen, it was built of Norwegian stone, Swedish wood and Danish glass and steel. The furniture is from Finland, while the roof is made of materials contributed by Iceland. To celebrate its 10 years of existence a big cultural event was arranged in 1993, including an art exhibition with works by the Faroese artist Ingálvur av Reyni, who has also made a name for himself abroad.
Tórshavn - Kirkjuböur
To the southwest of Tórshavn lies Kirkjuböur, a place inhabited by Irish monks as early as the eighth C. Here stand the ruins of the 13th C. St Magnus' Cathedral, an uncompleted building with tall basalt walls and Gothic pointed windows, and St Olaf's Church which has been restored. The medieval timber-framed house known as "Stokkakstovan" is now a museum.
Tórshavn - Kvivik
North of Tórshavn it is worth visiting Kvivik, where a house dating from the Viking Age has been excavated, and Hvalvik, which has the oldest wooden church in the Farøes.
Tórshavn - Saksun Museum
In a deep valley about 10km/6mi from Kvivik, on the northwest coast of Streymoy, lies Saksun, now a museum depicting life in the Middle Ages, with good fishing nearby. The Dúvugardur, a farmhouse built of boulders and peat, is furnished much as it was in the Middle Ages.
