Qaqortoq is a town in Qaqortoq District, Kujalleq Municipality, near Cape Thorvaldsen in southern Greenland.
The town was founded in 1775 by the Danish fur dealer Anders Olsen. At that time it was named Julianehåb in honor of the Danish Queen.
The old town center lies on a stream that comes from Tasersuaq Lake and flows into a fjord at the port. This is open to the Labrador Sea. The old market place with the main sights of Qaqortoq is located near the port.
Access : Coordinates: 60.722222, -46.040278 / Qaqortoq located near Cape Thorvaldsen in southern Greenland. Transport communication is provided by a heliport, from where flights fly to Narsarsuaq, where, in addition to the heliport, there is also an airfield for aircraft.
,There are no roads to other settlements, as in the rest of Greenland. It is possible to travel overland on off-road vehicles, and in winter on snowmobiles.
Highlights :
- Great Greenland produces high-quality fur products in its tannery and skinning facility. Visitation of the company is possible via the tourist information, where you can also buy simple individual items
- Throughout the city there are traces of the “Stone and Man” project, organized in 1993-1994 by local artist Aka Høegh – 18 artists from the Nordic countries processed granite walls overlooking the streets or installed stone sculptures.
- In the city, not far from the market square, there is a fountain, which is made in the form of whales spewing water from their blowholes. For a long time it was the only one in Greenland.
- Top sights in Qaqortoq : Church of the Redeemer , it was delivered in 1832 as a kit from Norway. Inside you will find a lifebuoy from the Hans Hedtoft ship, which was thought to be unsinkable but sank in 1959. / The Gertrud Rask Church was built in 1973. The simple modern building is accessible during the day.
/ Katersugaasivik (museum), Torvevej B 29, 3920 , The museum is housed in the colonial administrator’s residence, built in 1804. The house is the oldest building in the city. Hunting equipment, kayaks and national costumes of the Inuit are on display. Outside there is a turf hut. It also commemorates the polar explorer Knud Rasmussen and the pilot Charles Lindbergh who stayed here around 1930.
Go next : To Upernaviarsuk Experimental Station. / Not far from Qaqortoq are the ruins of Hvalsey, one of the most important remains of Viking settlements in Greenland, established in 985 by Barni Herjolfsson, according to the sagas.
