View source for Hestur

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Hestur
| native_name             = <!-- If different from name -->
| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. -->
| settlement_type         = [[List of islands of the Faroe Islands|Island]]
| image_skyline           = Hestur, Faroe Islands.JPG
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = West coast of Hestur
| image_map               = Position of Hestur on Faroe map.png
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = Location within the Faroe Islands
| coordinates             = {{coord|61|57|10|N|6|53|40|W|region:FO_type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|State]]
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|Kingdom of Denmark}}
| subdivision_type1        = Constituent country
| subdivision_name1        ={{flag|Faroe Islands}}
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| seat_type               = Municipality seat
| seat                    = 
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          = 
| area_total_km2          = 6.1
| area_rank               = 15
| area_note               = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| elevation_max_m         = 421
| population_total        = 16
| population_as_of        = 29 April 2025
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{Cite web|title=IB01010 Fólkatalsbroytingar skiftar á fødd, deyð, flutt, bygd og mánaðir (1985-2025)|url=https://statbank.hagstova.fo/pxweb/fo/H2/H2__IB__IB01/fo_vital_md.px/|access-date=2025-04-29|website=Hagtalsgrunnur}}</ref>
| population_rank         = 13
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_note         = 
| timezone1               = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset1             = +0
| timezone1_DST           = [[European Summer Time|EST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +1
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = FO 280
| area_code_type          = Calling code
| area_code               = 298
| website                 = 
| footnotes               = 
}}
'''Hestur''' ({{langx|da|Hestø}}) is an island in the central [[Faroe Islands]], to the west of [[Streymoy]] and the south of [[Koltur]]. ''Hestur'' means ''horse'' in [[Faroese language|Faroese]].

On the west coast is a [[guillemot]] colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes, of which Fagradalsvatn is the largest. At Hælur, Hestur's southernmost tip, there is a [[lighthouse]].  The island has one settlement, a village also named [[Hestur, Hestur|Hestur]] on the east coast. The village enjoys the view over to [[Gamlarætt]] and [[Velbastaður]] on Streymoy. There is a ferry link to the port at Gamlarætt.

==History==
The island has been settled since Viking times; the old settlement was at Hælur, the southern tip of the island. Due to it being the sunward side of the island, cereal ripened better there than anywhere else on the island. But due to extreme difficulties in landing boats there, the village was abandoned and the current village of Hestur was established.

On 1 April 1919, two of the village's fishing boats went missing in a storm while returning to a safe harbour, resulting in the deaths of 11 men. This was approximately half of the island's adult male population at the time, causing considerable grief and economic hardship for the village.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacobsen |first=Óli |date=2009-09-30 |title=90 ára minning: Skaðadagurin í Hesti |url=http://www.in.fo/news-detail/90-ra-minning-ska-adagurin-hesti |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251031052053/https://www.in.fo/news-detail/90-ra-minning-ska-adagurin-hesti |archive-date=2025-10-31 |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=www.in.fo |language=fo}}</ref>

In an attempt to fight the depopulation of the village, a swimming pool was built on the island. It opened in connection with the village hall in 1983.<ref>[https://trap.fo/en/the-islands-towns-and-settlements/hestur/ trap.fo - Hestur (Island)]</ref> On the southern part of the island by the lake Fagradalsvatn, one can [[camping|camp]]. Hestur's postal code is FO 280. Since 1 January 2005 the island has been part of the municipality of [[Tórshavnar kommuna|Tórshavn]].

==Important bird area==
The coastline of the island has been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] by [[BirdLife International]] because of its significance as a breeding site for [[seabird]]s, especially [[Atlantic puffin]]s (25,000 pairs), [[European storm petrel]]s (5000 pairs) and [[black guillemot]]s (50 pairs).<ref>BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Hestur. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-23.</ref>

== Mountains ==
The island has the following four mountains

{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! Height
|-
| Múlin
| 421 m
|-
| Eggjarrók
| 421 m
|-
| Nakkur
| 296 m
|-
| Álvastakkur
| 125 m
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Hestur.2.jpg|Hestur
File:Hestur.1.jpg|Hestur
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of towns in the Faroe Islands]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140917003950/http://faroeislands.dk/pages/HesturIndex.htm Maps of Hestur Island]
* [http://www.tourist.fo/default.asp?l=EN Official site of Faroe Islands]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061005004244/http://heima.olivant.fo/~anfinn/hestoy.htm personal website] with 6 aerial photos of Hestur

{{commons}}
{{wiktionary|Hestur}}
{{Tórshavnar kommuna}}
{{Islands of the Faroe Islands}}

[[Category:Populated places in the Faroe Islands]]
[[Category:Islands of the Faroe Islands]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of the Faroe Islands]]