Hvalba Coal Mine

Suðuroy is the only island in the Faroe Islands where coal is found, and Hvalba is the only village in the archipelago where it is still mined. The seam runs through the cliffs above the village and has been worked, on and off, since the 1700s. The mine is small and unromantic — a low entrance, a track, a few sheds — but it is the last working coal mine in the country and the reason Hvalba's economy never depended entirely on fish.

The mine sits a short walk uphill from the village. Visits are not arranged for casual tourists; you can see the entrance from outside and read about the history at the small information board.

things to do sight
A story
The Faroese began digging for coal here in the 18th century when firewood was scarce, and the mine produced enough during the Second World War to keep the islands' boilers running when imports stopped. Production today is a tiny fraction of the wartime peak — a handful of men working a single seam — but the mine remains the only one still operating in the Faroe Islands.