A Coalmine and a Wagon in Hvalba, Faroe Islands

Hvalba is the only place in the Faroe Islands, which still has active coalmining. They have been working in coal mines in Hvalba since ca. 1770. There is only one coal mine still in function, they are about to close it down and to open another one, because this one is about to be empty for coal. They still work in an old fascioned way, like they did 240 years ago, except for the use of dynamite of course. They use carbit lamps for light inside the coal mine. There are 5 men working in this mine, most of them are elderly men. In the old days, after the fishing industy started with large fishing wessels (large in those days that is) there were several mines open at the same time. Many of the workes worked part time when they were not on board fishing smacks/schooners/vessels. When I say "old days" I mean the 19th century and early 20th century. When the coal mining started around 1770 there was no fishing industy in the Faroes, not really anyway, they just went fishing in little wooden oar boats and catched mostly for their own use. They couldn't sell the fish back then, there was nowhere they could sell the fish, it took too long to row to Tórshavn to the monopoly store there. The first monopoly shop in Suduroy came in 1836, and 20 years later a law changed all that, and the days of the Danish monopoly were over.

There used to be coalmines in other places in the island Suduroy, on the other side of the mountain in Trongisvagur and in the village Famjin on the west coast, but these have been closed down for many years. I went inside the coalmine in Hvalba on the first of February 2010 together with a writer from Holland, Threes Anna, and a coal mine worker, Pauli Thomsen. It was very interesting indeed.

www.visitsuduroy.fo

Taken in: Færøerne / Suðuroy / Hvalba (show map)

Taken on: February 1, 2010

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Coalmine

Kolamina

Mining

Coal

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Kul

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Hvalba

Suduroy

Suðuroy

Føroyar

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Faroe

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Europe

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Nature

Tunnel

Færøerne

Eileen Sandá

Threes Anna

History

Historic

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Still in function

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Kolanám

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Kolanám í Hvalba

Coalmine in Hvalba « less

Sets appears in: • Coal Mine in Hvalba

Groups appears in: • visit the world - the travel guide • Mines & Mining more » • Island Photography • Colliery & Mine Photos • "World Trekker" (Post 7 - Award 3) • North Atlantic Community • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • Absolute Nordic Nature - POST ONE / COMMENT TWO • [][][]All Welcome[][][] « less

Camera: Olympus SP565UZ, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, 11.5mm, ISO 64 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Olympus SP565UZ
Aperture:	f/3.6
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	11.5mm
ISO:	64
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Creative (Slow speed)
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Version 1.0
Show full info

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