Faroese athletes visit mayor

Ritstjórn
A group of Faroese visitors met with the mayor at Reykjavík City Hall. Poul Michelsen, former mayor of Tórshavn, is to the right of the mayor.
A group of Faroese visitors met with the mayor at Reykjavík City Hall.

Twelve spirited Faroese visitors met with Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir last week. The group included Poul Michelsen, former mayor of Tórshavn, who talked with Heiða about the work of being mayor.

These friends belong to a running and walking club, and in their younger years played soccer for HB Tórshavn. The friends take morning walks in Tórshavn every day to stay energized and healthy.

Poul Michelsen served as mayor of Tórshavn (1981-1992), member of the Faroese Parliament (1984-1990 and 2002-2020) and minister of trade and foreign affairs (2015-2019).

Poul, who is 80 years old, is a great friend of Iceland and has visited the country many times. He received the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon in 1991. Poul not only has a successful political career behind him but is also a well-known athlete in his hometown, having played on the Faroese national soccer team and won multiple Faroese championships in badminton and table tennis.

On April 14, 1992, when Reykjavík City Hall was dedicated, speeches were given to mark this historic moment. Speakers included Mayor Markús Örn Antonsson, President of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson and Mayor of Tórshavn Poul Michelsen, who delivered greetings to Reykjavík residents on behalf of the mayors of Nordic capitals.

From the dedication of Reykjavík City Hall on April 14, 1992
Frá vígslu ráðhússins þann 14 apríl 1992. Fjöldi fólks var viðstatt vígsluna í Tjarnarsal Ráðhússins. Davíð Oddsson þáverandi forsætisráðherra er í ræðustól. Ljósmynd frá Ljósmyndasafni Reykjavíkur ljósmyndina tók Gunnar V. Andrésson

The atmosphere was cheerful during the meeting with Mayor Heiða Björg, as they discussed their experiences serving as mayors in their respective countries. Heiða shared information about the city's main projects and Poul talked about when he gave a speech at the city hall dedication in 1992. In his speech he said that great ambition lives within Icelanders and the construction of City Hall proved it.

At the end of their visit to City Hall, the group sang the song "Eins og áarstreymur rennur.". Poul and his friends say that singing is good for the soul and that Icelanders don't sing nearly enough. Faroese people sing much more!

In addition to visiting the mayor, the group went to the Faroese Liaison Office, visited Harpa, traveled to Akranes and then toured the Golden Circle. They returned home to the Faroe Islands on Friday.

We thank our Faroese cousins for their visit!