Feel the history while walking among the ruins from a distant
Viking age, or whilst sitting at the long table in Greenland's only
reconstructed longhouse and eating like the Viking settlers
did some 1000 years ago.
The traces of the Vikings - also called the Norse
- can be found in the innermost and warmest fjord systems in
South- and West Greenland.
The landscape here continues to be dominated by large ruins of
farms, stables, storerooms, etc., made of sandstone and granite
blocks. The ruins can be anything up to 1000 years old.
Green landscapes
As a visitor to these parts, you quickly begin to understand why
Erik the Red called the country Greenland - the landscape is
literally green and fertile. Lots of the same land that
the Viking settlers originally cultivated is today occupied by
enterprising sheep farmers and other farmers who offer guests
overnight accommodation on the banks of deep fjords and or on
grassy mountain slopes. Nature-lovers can thus experience authentic
settings as they begin to explore the area in the footsteps of the
earlier Norse settlers.
The best preserved ruins
The best preserved ruins are found in Southern Greenland, where
around 500 groups of ruins have been unearthed. After just half an
hour by boat from Narsarsuaq
international airport, you arrive at Qassiarsuk, where the
fascinating Brattahlid ruins can be seen. The area is also home to
a reconstruction of a Viking longhouse and
Tjodhilde's Church, which was the first Christian church built
on the North American continent.
Brattahlid is also the location from where
Leif Eriksson set sail and discovered Vinland - the North
American continent at Newfoundland and Labrador.
Hvalsey Church ruins
If you are in the vicinity of Qaqortoq,
you must not miss out on the chance to go on an excursion to the
beautiful Hvalsey Church, which is by far and
away the best preserved ruin in the country. The final accounts of
the Norse population were heard from here through a wedding
described in the Vatican's annals in 1408. After this account, no
further written evidence exists - only the mystery of what become
of the Viking population.
The Viking population in Nuuk
The Viking settlers did not only restrict themselves to the
south of Greenland, as evidenced by the fact that in the innermost
fjords near the capital of Nuuk up to
100 groups of ruins have been found. These ruins can be reached on
a daytrip by boat or by taking a helicopter flight.