Messan (‘the Messroom’ in English), a new maritime museum and cultural venue, was inaugurated in Sørvágur earlier this month. The new museum, owned by a trust, has as stated purpose to preserve an old wooden fishing boat as well as to hold exhibitions highlighting Faroese maritime history and to serve as a cultural venue.
A large crowd gathered for the grand opening on January 11th, with the museum receiving widespread praise, not least over its special architecture. A unique feature of the building, designed by artist Pól Skarðenni, is the barrel roof over its central section, consisting of the flipped hull of an old decommissioned vessel. The vessel, last named ‘Marna FD 193’ was originally built in 1943 at the Rudkøbing Skibsværft, Denmark.
