Qassiarsuk is a settlement in the
Kujalleq
Kujalleq ( Greenlandic: , da, Den Syden, lit=The South) is a municipality on the southern tip of Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The administrative center of the municipality is in Qaqortoq (formerly called Julianehåb).
Creation
...
municipality, in southern
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
. Its population was 39 in 2020. Qassiarsuk is part of the
Kujataa
Kujataa is a sub-arctic farming landscape in the southern region of Greenland. It is the first known example of agriculture in the Arctic, and the oldest evidence of the Old Norse culture spreading outside Europe. The unique juxtaposition of farm ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, due to its historical importance as the homestead of
Erik the Red and its unique testimony to Greenlandic farming.
History
Brattahlíð
Brattahlíð (), often anglicised as Brattahlid, was Erik the Red's estate in the Eastern Settlement Viking colony he established in south-western Greenland toward the end of the 10th century. The present settlement of Qassiarsuk, approximately ...
is located by
Tunulliarfik Fjord
Tunulliarfik Fjord (old spelling: ''Tunugdliarfik'') is a fjord near Qaqortoq in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It is the inner section of Skovfjord (Skovfjorden). In times of the Norse settlement in southern Greenland, it was kn ...
(''Skovfjorden'' in Danish), and it was the site of
Erik the Red's estate in the times of the
Norse Eastern Settlement
The Eastern Settlement ( non, Eystribygð ) was the first and by far the larger of the two main areas of Norse Greenland, settled by Norsemen from Iceland. At its peak, it contained approximately 4,000 inhabitants. The last written record from t ...
(''Østerbygden'' in Danish). Ruins of several of the buildings, including living quarters, outhouses, and a church, are still clearly visible.
The current village was founded as Greenland's first
sheep farm
Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk ( sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin ...
in 1924 and is located in the same place.
Until December 31, 2008, the settlement was part of
Narsaq Municipality
Narsaq Municipality was a municipality in south Greenland until 31 December 2008. The municipality consisted of Narsaq, and the settlements Qassiarsuk, Igaliku, and Narsarsuaq. Its administrative center was the town of Narsaq. It was incorporated ...
in the
Kitaa
Kitaa, originally Vestgrønland ("West Greenland"), is a former administrative division of Greenland. It was by far the most populated of the divisions, being home to almost 90% of the total population. The divisions were de facto replaced by st ...
amt. On January 1, 2009, Qassiarsuk became part of Kujalleq municipality, when the Kitaa amt, as well as the municipalities of Narsaq,
Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipalities of Greenland, municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in ...
, and
Nanortalik
Nanortalik (), formerly Nennortalik, is a town in Nanortalik Island, Kujalleq municipality, southern Greenland. With 1,185 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the eleventh-largest town in the country. The name ''Nanortalik'' means "Place of Polar Bear ...
ceased to exist as administrative entities.
Geography
![Tunulliarfik-qassiarsuk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Tunulliarfik-qassiarsuk.jpg)
The settlement is located on Narsaq Peninsula roughly 5 km (3.1 mi) west of
Narsarsuaq
Narsarsuaq (lit. ''Great Plan'';''Facts and History of Narsarsuaq'', Narsarsuad Tourist Information old spelling: ''Narssarssuaq'') is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It had 123 inhabitants in 2020. There is a thri ...
across the Tunulliarfik Fjord. It has fertile plains wider than those found at
Narsaq
Narsaq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The name ''Narsaq'' is Kalaallisut for "Plain", referring to the shore of Tunulliarfik Fjord where the town is located.
History
People have lived in the area for thousands of ...
on the southern end of the peninsula.
Infrastructure and transportation
The settlement has a general store operated by
KNI,
and there is a youth hostel available for tourists and
hikers
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Hist ...
. There is also a small church.
The electricity needs for the settlement are provided for by a local power station.
Transportation
The Qassiarsuk area has a relatively extensive network of traversable dirt and gravel roads, totalling over 120 kilometers and requiring DKK 500,000 annually for service.
The roads are mainly needed for the sheep farming. The longest stretch of road connects the sheep farms of Qassiarsuk with the airport of Narsarsuaq, around 50 km. The roads are generally of poor construction, lacking crossfall for drainage, and using softer sandstone instead of harder granite, creating severe dust problems in the summer. For general transportation all-terrain vehicles are recommended. Driving between the airport and Qassiarsuk is hard since there is no bridge over the glacial Narsarsuaq river and crossing it is difficult due to deposits of
silt
Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...
quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...
the river carries from the
Greenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet ( da, Grønlands indlandsis, kl, Sermersuaq) is a vast body of ice covering , roughly near 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is sometimes referred to as an ice cap, or under the term ''inland ice'', or its Danish equiva ...
( kl, Sermersuaq).
All vital transportation at Qassiarsuk is by sea, with boats linking the settlement to
Narsarsuaq Airport
Narsarsuaq Airport ( kl, Mittarfik Narsarsuaq) is an airport located in Narsarsuaq, a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. Along with Kangerlussuaq Airport, it is one of two airports in Greenland capable of serving l ...
, home to the only international airport in southern Greenland. The airport primarily functions as a transfer point for passengers heading for the
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
hubs of
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S (formerly named Grønlandsfly), also known as Greenlandair, is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, owned by the Greenlandic Government. It operates a fleet of 32 aircraft, including 1 airliner used for transatlantic and ch ...
in
Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipalities of Greenland, municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in ...
and
Nanortalik
Nanortalik (), formerly Nennortalik, is a town in Nanortalik Island, Kujalleq municipality, southern Greenland. With 1,185 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the eleventh-largest town in the country. The name ''Nanortalik'' means "Place of Polar Bear ...
. Qassiarsuk does not have its own
heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...
.
Economy
Qassiarsuk's economy is based on sheep husbandry and farming. This contrasts with the majority of Greenland's settlements, which are based on fishing.
There is also a thriving tourism industry in the area. The Norse ruins in the area and the reconstructed Thodhildur's church of Brattahlid are among the most popular tourist destinations in all of Greenland.
Population
The population of Qassiarsuk has been stable in the last two decades.
In Literature
The novel ''
An Old Captivity'' by
Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute Norway (17 January 189912 January 1960) was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name in his engineering career and Nevil Shute as his pen name, in order to protect h ...
is set in
Brattahlíð
Brattahlíð (), often anglicised as Brattahlid, was Erik the Red's estate in the Eastern Settlement Viking colony he established in south-western Greenland toward the end of the 10th century. The present settlement of Qassiarsuk, approximately ...
(spelled "Brattalid" in the book), describing a 1930s archaeological expedition there.
References
{{Settlements in Greenland
Populated places in Greenland