Qasigiannguit

Qasigiannguit sits on the south-eastern shore of Disko Bay, a town of around a thousand people founded in 1734 as the trading post of Christianshaab, and it lives mainly on shrimp and halibut fishing. Its museum, opened in 1997, occupies the former residence of Poul Egede, completed on 25 July 1734 and the oldest surviving wooden building in Greenland, which was moved to its present site in 1806 because of the heavy wind at its first location across the bay. An archaeological discovery in 1999 gave the museum a collection of finds from several prehistoric cultures.

History

The settlement was founded in 1734 as a trading post of Jacob Severin's company and named Christianshaab after King Christian VI of Denmark. The former residence of Poul Egede, completed on 25 July 1734, is the oldest surviving wooden building in Greenland; it was moved to its present site in 1806 because of the heavy wind across the bay, and became a museum in 1997 (Wikipedia, Qasigiannguit).

What you'll find

• The Egede house - the oldest surviving wooden building in Greenland, now the museum.
• The prehistoric finds - material from several cultures, from a 1999 discovery.
• The 1734 founding - one of the older colonial settlements in Greenland.
• The Disko Bay setting - the town on the eastern shore with icebergs offshore.

When to go

June to September is the season. Sea ice closes the bay in winter. Connections are by boat and helicopter and both are weather dependent.

Practical notes

The museum is small. Connections are limited and weather dependent. Facilities are modest.

Nearby

Aasiaat is west, and Ilulissat is north.

Key facts