Sisimiut lies immediately north of the Arctic Circle and is the northernmost town in Greenland with an ice-free harbour in the winter, while at the same time the southernmost town in West Greenland, where in winter and spring you can go dog sledding.
Coastal gem at the Arctic Circle
Sisimiut lies immediately north of the Arctic Circle and is the northernmost town in Greenland with an ice-free harbour in the winter, while at the same time the southernmost town in West Greenland, where in winter and spring you can go dog sledding. In Sisimiut's old town you can still see buildings from the colonial period's first 100 years, among others, in the museum area with the portal built of enormous whale jawbones and the blue church, which is Greenland's second oldest church from 1775.
Sisimiut today
Sisimiut means "the fox holes". The town was founded in 1756 as a mission and trading post under the name Holsteinsborg. Today, 6000 inhabitants live in the town of Sisimiut and the settlements at
Kangerlussuaq, Sarfannguaq and Itilleq. A high-tech factory that processes prawns and crabs is witness to fishing being the main industry in Sisimiut.
Facts about
Sisimiut
Population: 5600.
40 km north of the Arctic Circle.
Airport, weekly ferry connections, hotels and restaurants, the local authority headquarters, culture centre, cinema, 6th form college/high school, museum and many shops.