– The far-flung Faroe Islands regularly rank high on lists of the world’s top undiscovered destinations thanks to stunning sea cliffs and fjords, cute colonies of cliff-dwelling puffins, quaint grass-roofed cottages, one of the world’s most remote Michelin-star restaurants and the odd cartographer sheep. You’ll also find one of the coolest prisons in the world there with criminally beautiful views.
These are the words of Eric Rosen who writes for Forbes Magazine. He writes about the only jail in the Faroe Islands which is on the archipelago’s largest island of Streymoy.
Rosen asks if this is coolest prison in the world. It lies in an area called Mjørkadalur, which is mostly known for a massive NATO radar array up on the mountaintop that’s now used for civilian air traffic.
”Halfway down the valley along the major road that traverses Streymoy, you might notice a set of low-slung white buildings with turf roofs and incomparable views of the fjord. This is the prison”, explains Rosen, who seems impressed by the circumstances:
”The prison only has room for 12 inmates, one of whom recently attempted an escape but was caught in an abandoned house nearby. The jail is actually more like a short-term detention center since is only used for nonviolent offenders serving brief sentences. Serious criminals and those serving longer terms are sent to Denmark for incarceration.”, explains Rosen, adding that:
”Those who do remain here, though, each get their own individual cell with a working television. They also have a mini-golf course out back to while away the hours. But would you look at those valley views? Not a bad place to contemplate your wrongdoing and plot your return as a productive member of society”, Rosen concludes.