Koltur

Koltur: Nature Reserve and Research Station

Koltur is an old settlement area with a total of 17 merkur and 160 sheep. Originally, there was only one farm in Koltur, but it was later divided into four, at which point around fifty people lived on the island. In the late 1980s, the last permanent residents moved away, and the island was merged back into a single leasehold. Koltur consists of two settlements, Heima í Húsi and Norðri í Gerð, with two leaseholds belonging to each settlement. Now, all four leaseholds have been combined into an open-air museum managed by a caretaker who resides in the house at Norðri í Gerði.

Today, Koltur is perhaps best known for its open-air museum, where the settlement Heima í Húsi has been rebuilt with support from various funds, making it a unique example of how Faroese people lived in the past. The Koltur Foundation was established in 1993 by the then leaseholder along with the Land Administration to preserve Koltur’s special cultural values.

Koltur became part of Tórshavn Municipality on January 1, 2005.

Koltur is definitely a must see but it isn’t accessible at all times. Rib62 and Norðlýsið offer tours to Koltur.

Read more about the nature reserve and research station here.