Vágur

Vágur meaning Bay (Våg) is a town on the island of Suðuroy, part of the Faroe Islands It is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and was founded in the fourteenth century. Expansion has meant that the nearby town of Nes is now a suburb of Vágur. Vágur has a sports hall next to the football grounds on Eiðinum, near Vágseiði, a swimming pool by the school and a clinic which offers the services of doctors, nurses and dentists. There is also a hotel, one bank and various shops. The port area, which is 14 m in depth, is situated on the northern part of the fjord. The port authorities can offer services of piloting (lods), water and fire-fighting, and in connection with the harbour there is a modern fish factory and auctioneers for fish. Salmon farming is also a part of the fish industry in Vágur, this includes salmon farm rings on the fjord and in other places near the east coast of Suðuroy and a salmon factory. The town has a slipway, a fleet of fishing vessels and a filleting factory. In 1350 Vágur is mentioned for the first time in historical documents, when it was mentioned in the Dog Letter that several dog owners were in Vágur. People from the village were found not guilty in trading with a ship from the Netherlands. The reason that they were found not guilty was because the court found that they had been forced to trade because of hunger in the island of Suðuroy. In 1538 the former priest Andrass gives his first Lutheran speech in the Faroe Islands in the church of Vágur. Because of this the church of Vágur was held in high esteem and regarded as one of the most sacred of the churches in the Faroe Islands. In 1584 according to the books from the Løgting, 17 people were living in Vágur. In 1804 Nólsoyar Páll bought a shipwreck (the English Sally & Polly) at an auction in Hvalba together with Jákup í Toftum (from Vágur) and Per í Gjørðum (from Porkeri). They rebuilt the ship on Fløtan Fríða in Vágur and named it Royndin Fríða.