People have lived in the area for thousands of years, but not continuously. Remains of the Norse settlement can be found in the area. The church ruins of Dyrnæs can be found on the north-western outskirts of the town. The Landnám homestead, Landnamsgaarden, can be found immediately to the west of the town.[2] Dated to the year 1000, the homestead is among the oldest of the Norse ruins in the area. Excavation of the ruins began in 1953 with the discovery of the Narsaq stick, the first Viking Age runic inscription discovered in Greenland. The wider Narsaq area has some of the most striking Norse artifacts and ruins. Erik the Red's Brattahlid is located in present-day Qassiarsuk, and the Gardar bishop seat is in present-day Igaliku.
Present day Narsaq was founded as Nordprøven ("North Prøven") in 1830,[3] distinguishing it from Sydprøven ("South Prøven", modern Alluitsup Paa) established the same year. The initial settlement was founded as a trading colony of Qaqortoq, then named Julianehaab.
A trading center was established here due to the natural deep water harbor which could accommodate ocean faring vessels, . Initially local seal hunters traded blubber and seal skin for continental goods, such as coffee, sugar, bread and buckwheat.
Until approximately 1900 seal hunting formed the main economy for Narsaq. In the early 1900s seal hunting began to fail, and the main basis for the economy gradually shifted to fishing. The city's historical fishing village is from 1914. The main house of the historical village today houses the power company in the city.
Simiutak at the Skovfjord mouth near Narsaq was a HF/DF radio range finding station called Bluie West Three during World War II. The station commenced operations in January 1942, and was permanently staffed until the end of the war.
The population also increased during this period, from 25 in 1870, to 162 in 1919, and to 300 in 1930. However the settlement did not experience significant population growth until 1953, when its first prawn and fishing factory of Royal Greenland was established. The factory was subsequently closed in 2010.[4]
In 1959 the population exceeded 600, and Narsaq achieved town status,.[3] With 1,346 inhabitants as of 2020,[1] it is the ninth-largest town in Greenland. Several hundred people live in the surrounding community.
The town is notable for the 1990 Narsaq massacre, a mass shooting where seven people were killed and one was wounded. The shooting was the worst in Greenland's history.
Until December 31, 2008, the town was the administrative center of Narsaq Municipality in the Kitaa amt. In addition to the town, the municipality consisted of the Qassiarsuk, Igaliku and Narsarsuaq settlements, as well as several sheep and reindeer farms. On January 1, 2009, Narsaq became part of Kujalleq municipality, when the Kitaa amt, as well as the municipalities of Narsaq, Qaqortoq, and Nanortalik ceased to exist as administrative entities.
Economy
Colorful houses of Narsaq
Fishing
Fishing is the mainstay of the local economy. Local fjords are full of marine life, including whales, salmon, and seals.
Sheep farming
Farming is possible on the plains to the north of the town, with several actively maintained arable fields. Of the 53 registered sheep farms in Greenland, 31 are located in the Narsaq area. The farms produce meat for domestic consumption, and the Narsaq slaughterhouse Neqi A/S, a wholly owned subsidiary of KNI, is the only slaughterhouse in the country. The sheep farming area of Tasiusaq is located in former Norse area.
Tourism
The third major part of the economy is tourism. South Greenland has experienced a decline in tourist revenue in recent years, but tourism still supports a significant percentage of the viable workforce. Popular activities include hiking, fishing, collecting rare minerals and taking boat trips to the ice cap.[5]
Services and infrastructure
Church in Narsaq
Today Narsaq has a town hall, two supermarkets, a church, a police station, a firestation, a primary school, several educational facilities, an internet café, a hospital, and several small shops. Greenland's first brewery, Greenland Brewhouse, was established in Narsaq in 2004.
The town hospital is housed in a two-storey building and has 14 beds. The town health services also include a dental clinic.[6]
Narsaq church was designed by local carpenter Pavia Høegh in 1927. The church was refurbished and expanded in 1981.[6]
The only Food Science College in the country is located in Narsaq.[7] The school, INUILI, is the main education center for chefs in Greenland, and it has a staff of 20.[8]
Air Greenland provides air connections to Qaqortoq and Narsarsuaq
Narsaq Heliport operates year-round, linking Narsaq with Qaqortoq on the shores of Labrador Sea, and thus with Arctic Umiaq off-season route endpoint. It also links Narsaq with the large Narsarsuaq Airport, and indirectly with the rest of Greenland and Europe.[9]
Sea
The harbor of Narsaq is a natural coastal harbor with steep depth. Narsaq is a port of call for the Arctic Umiaq Line coastal ship in the summer season.[10] The port can accommodate deep seagoing vessels due to the steep depth of the shore. The port authority for Narsaq is Royal Arctic Line, located in Nuuk. Port pilotage is available upon request, and is recommended.
Land
Narsaq in January
In contrast to the rest of Greenland, the wider Narsaq area has a relatively extensive network of traversable dirt and gravel roads, totalling over 120 kilometers and requiring DKK 500,000 annually for service.[11] The longest stretch of road envelopes the northern end of Tunulliarfik Fjord, and connects the sheep farms of Qassiarsuk with the airport of Narsarsuaq. 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. During winter dog sled routes are important transport links to the surrounding area.
Population
With 1,346 inhabitants as of 2020[update], Narsaq is the second-largest town in the Kujalleq municipality.[1] The population has decreased 25% relative to the 1990 levels, and has been decreasing over the last several years. Most towns and settlements in southern Greenland exhibit negative growth patterns over the last two decades, with many settlements rapidly depopulating.[12]
Narsarsuaq is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It had 123 inhabitants in 2020. There is a thriving tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones, tours to glaciers, and an airfield museum.
Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq 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 southern Greenland and the fourth or fifth-largest town on the island.
Alluitsup Paa is a village in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. Alluitsup Paa had 202 residents in 2020. Presently, the community's religious activities take place in Qaqortoq.
Aappilattoq is a village in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The name means "red", after the red mountain rising above the settlement in the Greenlandic language. The settlement had 100 inhabitants in 2020.
Qassiarsuk is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality, in southern Greenland. Its population was 39 in 2020. Qassiarsuk is part of the Kujataa World Heritage Site, due to its historical importance as the homestead of Erik the Red and its unique testimony to Greenlandic farming.
Eqalugaarsuit is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, located southeast of Qaqortoq and northwest of Alluitsup Paa. Its population was 49 in 2020.
Igaliku is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The town was founded as Igaliko in 1783 by the trader and colonial administrator Anders Olsen and Greenlandic wife Tuperna. In 2020, Igaliku had 21 inhabitants. The nearby Norse ruins of Garðar and the farms surrounding the town were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017 as part of the Kujataa Greenland: Norse and Inuit Farming at the Edge of the Ice Cap site.
Tasiusaq is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, founded in 1933. It is located at the Tasermiut Fjord, east of Nanortalik. Its population was 53 in 2020. In the Greenlandic language, the name of the settlement means "like a lake", referring to the lake-looking bay it situated on. The inhabitants call it "Tasiisaq", which is the local dialect.
Narsarmijit, formerly Narsaq Kujalleq and Frederiksdal, is a settlement in southern Greenland. It is located in the Kujalleq municipality near Cape Thorvaldsen. Its population was 66 in 2020. There has been a slow but steady pattern of emigration since the late 1950s.
Ammassivik is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The modern name is the Kalaallisut for "where you catch ammassaat (capelin)". Its population was 74 in 2010 and 32 in 2020.
Saarloq is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. Its population was 21 in 2020. It is located on a small island with the same name off the Labrador Sea coast, at the mouth of the Qaqortoq Fjord, west of Alluitsup Paa and 20 km south of Qaqortoq.
Qassimiut is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The settlement was founded in 1835 as a trading station. With a population of 20 in 2020, it is the smallest organized, permanent settlement in Greenland.
Narsarsuaq Airport 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 large airliners. It is also the only international airport in southern Greenland. The settlement it serves is small, with the airport primarily functioning as a transfer point for passengers heading for the helicopter hubs of Air Greenland in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. The airport is to be closed in 2025 when Qaqortoq Airport is scheduled to open.
Kujalleq is a municipality on the southern tip of Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The administrative center of the municipality is in Qaqortoq.
Arctic Umiaq Line A/S (AUL) or Arctic Umiaq is a passenger and freight shipping line in Greenland. Its name derives from the Kalaallisut word for the traditional Inuit passenger boat, the umiak, distinguished from the kayak, used for hunting. The sea connection provided by Arctic Umiaq is a lifeline for the entire western and southwestern Greenland. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Arctic Line.
Narsaq Heliport is a heliport in the northwestern part of Narsaq, a town in the Kujalleq municipality, in southern Greenland.
Tunulliarfik Fjord 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 known as Eiriksfjord.
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 into the new Kujalleq municipality on 1 January 2009, when the municipalities of Narsaq, Nanortalik, and Qaqortoq ceased to exist as administrative entities.
1 2 "Kommunerne"(PDF) (in Danish). Kalaallit Nunaanni Kommuneqaarfiit Kattufiat (KANUKOKA). Archived from the original(PDF) on July 24, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
↑ Kalistat Lund. "Smagen af Sydgrønland" (in Danish). Business and Labor Committee, Kommune Kujalleq. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
↑ "Levnedsmiddelskolen INUILI" (in Danish). INUILI College of Food Sciences and Knowledge Center. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
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