Slættanes

Slættanes (pronounced [ˈslaʰtːaˌneːs]) is a village on the island of Vágar in the western Faroes, which is now abandoned and only used as summer homes.

Slættanes
Abandoned village
Slættanes from the seaside, 2008
Slættanes Location in the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°09′N 7°14′W
State	Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country	Faroe Islands
Island	Vágar
Municipality	Vága kommuna
Founded	1835
Population
• Total	none
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (EST)

Slættanes, like the also-abandoned village of Víkar, is on the northern coast of the island. It was founded in 1835 by a man named Hendrik Thomasen and belonged to the municipality of Sandavágur in the south. During its best years (1945 to 1950) around 130 people lived in the village, but the average population was around 70. There were 12 houses in Slættanes. However, in 1965 the last inhabitants left the community because of its relatively isolated location.

A road was never built to Slættanes, but there are many trails there. One goes to Sandavágur in the southeast, another to Sørvágur to the south, and yet another goes west to Gásadalur. In the village itself there are no streets or discernible paths. The houses stand dispersed across the meadow and now serve as summer houses for the former residents and their relatives.

Postal service once arrived by foot from Sørvágur, and then later by a regular boat service from Vestmanna.

References

• The information in this article is based on a translation of its German equivalent.
• Postverk Føroya: "Postal History of Slættanes", in: News from the Faroe Islands 1/2003 (with photos) (in the internet)
• Faroestamps.fo - Slættanes