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Gjogv
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Gjogv is a village located on the northeast tip of the island of Eysturoy, in the Faroe Islands and 63 km (39 mi) north by road from the capital of Torshavn.
The village was named after a 200-metre (650 ft) long sea-filled gorge that runs north to the sea from the village.
The village church dates from 1929. It was the first one to be consecrated in the village and the first one to feature services in Faroese. Before that, the villagers walked to Funningur for church and burial services. On the opposite side of the road a sculpture stands as a memorial to fishermen lost at sea, bearing the names and ages of men from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century. The sculpture of a mother and two children looking out to sea was created by Janus Kamban, who has created a number of Faroese commemorative statues.
The village school building dates back to 1884. It was built from boulders and was once in use by as many as 50 pupils. Now there are only three. The old village dance hall was renovated and extended in 1986 and now houses a community centre. All houses in the village conform to the prevailing colourful style of building in the Faroes, red, white and green being the predominant colours used. There are still about 50 houses left in the village. Due to the great decrease in population, about half of that number stand empty.
The nearest grocery store is at Eiõi, but Gjogv has a post office in a private home, which opens five days a week for 30 minutes each morning and afternoon. There is also a helicopter pad in the village, used mainly for emergency ambulance service or sea-rescue operations.
Gjogv has one of the best natural harbours in the Faroes. However, boats need to be pulled up on a ramp to be safe from the surf. To tourists and boating natives alike, the harbour in the gorge is also a well-known site of outstanding natural scenery. The village gets its name from the gorge, Faroese gjogv is derived from the same Norse word (gjo) as the Shetland dialect geo. The inhabitants are known as Gjaarfolk, possibly related to the Icelandic word gja which itself comes from the Old Norse gjo from which the village name is derived.
Danish crown prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary visited Gjogv on 22 June 2005. Two elderly inhabitants named Rita and Christian had the original idea of placing a bench with a magnificent view along the gorge towards the sea. The bench was baptised 'Mary's bench' (boldly proclaimed by a brass plaque attached to it) and the Crown Princess subsequently became the first to be seated on it. They were also serenaded by Faroese opera singer Runi Brattaberg on this occasion.
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