Kirkjubøargarður, Medieval farmhouse in Kirkjubøur, Faroe Islands.
Kirkjubøargarður is a working farm with several connected sections, some dating to medieval times and displaying traditional Faroese building design. The individual rooms, including a smoke room and library room, each served specific functions that reveal how life was organized in earlier periods.
The farm served as the bishop's residence and training center for the Diocese of the Faroe Islands from around 1100 until the Reformation in the mid-1500s. After that period, it became a private home and has remained in the same family ever since.
The Patursson family continues to shape daily life here through traditional practices passed down over many generations. The farm demonstrates how people in this place have long been tied to the land and their animals.
The location sits in a small village and is best explored on foot while taking in the view of traditional Faroese houses around you. It is worth allowing time to see both the historic rooms and the working areas of the farm in operation.
The smoke room was built using numbered driftwood pieces from Norway that were specially collected and shipped for assembly. This practical method shows how islanders historically sourced their materials, since wood was scarce on the islands themselves.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
