Lerwick

Lerwick
/lerr"wik, ler"-, ler"ik/, n.
a city in and the administrative center of the Shetland Islands, N of Scotland. 6107.

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Town (pop., 1991: 7,336), administrative centre of the Shetland Islands, northern Scotland.

It is on the eastern coast of the island of Mainland. Britain's northernmost town, it originated as a fishing village and is notable for its herring catch. The North Sea oil boom of the 1970s increased port traffic, and Lerwick became an oil supply and service base. It is the seat of the Shetland Islands council area.

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      chief town of Scotland's Shetland Islands, an archipelago lying 130 miles (210 km) north of the Scottish mainland. Lerwick is the most northerly town in Britain. It is situated on a fine natural harbour on Bressay Sound on the eastern coast of the island of Mainland.

      Lerwick originated as a fishing village and continued as such until the 19th century, when it became one of the major herring ports of Britain and expanded accordingly. The “old town,” huddled along the shore, contains many 17th-century buildings—including Fort Charlotte, first built by Oliver Cromwell and later burned and restored by George III, whose queen it was named after. Fishing was traditionally the backbone of the economy. Salt fish was exported from Lerwick in the 18th century; whaling and later herring fishing were dominant during the 19th century; and today whitefish, crabs, and lobsters are the mainstay. Large numbers of foreign vessels use the port and supply fish for the many freezing and processing plants. The North Sea oil boom beginning in the 1970s involved Shetland in the exploitation of the rich oil reserves of the eastern Shetland Basin, with its landfall terminal at Sullom Voe. This resulted in enormously increased port traffic and the emergence of Lerwick as an oil supply and service base, with associated engineering and ship-repairing industries.

      The name Lerwick derives from Norse (Viking), and the strong Norse tradition of Shetland is dramatically represented in Lerwick's Up-Helly-Aa (Fire Festival) at the end of January, when a full-sized model of a Norse longship is dragged through the town in a torchlight procession and then burned. The town is home to the Shetland Museum and Archives (2007), which contains artifacts relating to the islands' history. Lerwick is the administrative centre of the Shetland Islands council area. Pop. (1991) 7,336; (2004 est.) 6,570.

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  • Lerwick — (spr. Lerrick), Hauptort der Shetlandinsel Mainland (nordöstlich von Schottland), Sitz des Vice Sherifs der Shetlandinseln; Strohflechterei, Wollstrickerei; Sammelplatz für Walfisch u. Häringsfänger; 2800 Ew …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Lerwick — (spr. lérrick), Hauptstadt der zu Schottland gehörigen Shetlandinseln, auf der Insel Main land am Bressaysund gelegen, der einen vorzüglichen Hafen (1886 ausgebaut) bildet, ist die nördlichste Stadt Großbritanniens, hat ein stattliches Rathaus… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Lerwick — (spr. lérrick), Hauptort der schott. Shetlandinseln, auf der Ostküste von Mainland, am Bressasund, (1901) 4061 E.; Hafen, Zentrum des Heringfangs …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Lerwick —   [ ləːwɪk], Stadt in Schottland, Sitz des Verwaltungsdistrikts Shetlandinseln (Shetland Islands), an der Ostküste von Mainland, 7 300 Einwohner; Shetlandmuseum; Hauptwirtschaftszweige sind Fischerei und Fisch verarbeitende Industrie;… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Lerwick — Infobox UK place official name= Lerwick gaelic name= scots name= local name= country= Scotland map type= Scotland population= 6830 population density= os grid reference= HU474414 edinburgh distance= london distance= latitude= 60.155278 longitude …   Wikipedia

  • Lerwick — 60° 09′ 18″ N 1° 08′ 42″ W / 60.155, 1.145 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lerwick — /lerr wik, ler , ler ik/, n. a city in and the administrative center of the Shetland Islands, N of Scotland. 6107. * * * Lerwick [Lerwick] a town in the ↑Shetland Islands, the islands to the far north of Scotland. It is a fishing port and the… …   Useful english dictionary

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