Kirkwall is a port with ferry services to Aberdeen and Lerwick, as well as the principal north islands in the group. At the heart of the town stands St. Magnus Cathedral, which was founded in memory of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney 1108–1117 by Earl (later Saint) Rögnvald Kali. Next to the Cathedral are the ruins of the former Bishop’s Palace and Earl’s Palace. The town has two museums, the larger being Tankerness House Museum, which contains items of local historical interest within one of Scotland’s best-preserved sixteenth-century town-houses. The prehistoric, Pictish and Viking collections are of international importance.
