Located in Klaksvík, the sculpture Fiskimenn á fiskastykkinum (“Fishermen on the Fish-Drying Grounds”) stands as a tribute to the generations of local fishermen and workers who played a vital role in shaping the community’s livelihood and identity through coastal fishing and fish processing.

The concept was created by renowned Faroese artist Archibald Black, and the project was led and carried out by craftsman Ólavur Samson. The statue was unveiled in 2006—one year after the installation of Maður við línustampi (“Man with a Line Tub”) at Stongunum. According to Ólavur Samson, the original vision always included the idea of placing a second statue a bit farther south, a plan that remains unrealized but not abandoned.

The sculpture is located at one of the last remaining traditional fish-drying grounds (fiskastykki) in Klaksvík—a space where fish was once dried on wooden racks under the open sky. This setting was central to everyday life and work in the town until the mid-20th century. As late as 1963, dried fish was still being processed at this very spot, above the site known as Norðborg.

At the unveiling ceremony, the statue was celebrated as more than just a piece of art—it was described as a visual memory of the past. The speaker reflected on images of fishermen heading out in rubber boots with a full fish basket (skjátta) in hand and returning with an empty one—now filled instead with a catch of fish. These statues serve to preserve the memory of the early settlers and hard-working generations who made life possible for those who came after.

The drying grounds were once common all across Klaksvík, including large areas where Betesda Church and the current parking lot now stand—places once owned by the merchant Ziska. These were scenes of intense labor, symbolic of a community built on perseverance, the sea, and the rhythms of a fishing life.

Today, Fiskimenn á fiskastykkinum stands as a quiet yet powerful reminder of this history—a tribute to those who came before, and a call to remember the struggle and pride that built the town.