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Leif Eriksson

Leif Eriksson made ​​amazing discoveries and was the first European to reach North America - nearly 500 years before Columbus.

In Brattahlid, which today is known by the Greenlandic name of Qassiarsuk, a bronze statue of Leif Eriksson has been erected as a memorial to his fantastic discoveries in the year 1000 AD.

The statue has been erected at the site in Southern Greenland from where the legendary son of Erik the Red set course towards the uncharted west from his childhood home.

ALL ABOUT GREENLAND’S VIKINGS

What was life like when Leif Eriksson and Freydís Eiríksdóttir lived in South Greenland?

Find out here

FIRST EUROPEANS IN NORTH AMERICA

The voyage made Leif Eriksson – whose byname was ‘the Fortunate’ – the first ever European to set foot on the North American continent.

The areas that Leif Eriksson discovered and explored where christened by him Helluland, Markland and finally Vinland. The areas are thought to be Baffin Island, Labrador and Newfoundland respectively.

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Package Tours

Blue Ice Explorer: Plan your own holiday in Greenland

Blue Ice Explorer

Plan your own holiday in Greenland

Are you dreaming of going to Greenland and would you prefer to plan your own trip?

FROM €24
Blue Ice Explorer – South Greenland 4 days – easy going

Blue Ice Explorer

South Greenland 4 days – easy going

South Greenland is famous for its Norse history and blue icebergs, and you can easily reach both on daytrips from the airport in Narsarsuaq.

FROM €435
Blue Ice Explorer: South Greenland – Short and Intensive

Blue Ice Explorer

South Greenland - Short and Intensive

Experience Greenland on a getaway from Iceland. Wonderful day-hikes with easy access to South Greenland's blue icebergs and history.

FROM €659
Greenland Travel: All in one: The grand tour of Greenland

Greenland Travel

All in one: The grand tour of Greenland

15-day trip with incredible contrasts. Nature, villages and towns. Hiking, green mountains, turquoise icebergs, flower valleys, and ice-cold glaciers.

From €6,750
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VIKING SETTLERS IN CANADA

It is indeed in north-western Newfoundland in Canada, more specifically at L’Anse-aux-Meadows, that the oldest known European settlement in the New World has been discovered.

More than 2400 Viking objects have been excavated from the area conclusive proof that the Viking settlers discovered North America long before Columbus.

THE STATUE OF LEIF ERIKSSON

The statue of Leif the Fortunate was erected in the year 2000 in conjunction with the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the heroic voyage.

It is a copy of similar statues originally erected in Seattle on the American west coast and subsequently in Trondheim in the north of Norway. The museum in Narsaq houses an exciting permanent exhibition of the early Viking settlers and their way of life.

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Editors' pick

Walk on path along coastline of Nuuk. Photo - Peter Lindstrom, Visit Greenland

Greenland’s modern path to independence

Many people ask if Greenland is considered a country. Others question, Why does Denmark own Greenland? Read on to get a snapshot of Greenland’s political status and the historical background of Greenland’s road to independence.

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Whale Art by Aka Høegh, Qaqortoq. Photo - Peter Lindstrom, Visit Greenland

The Greenlandic hunting culture and the Bowhead Whale – a portrait

The Bowhead Whale can boast not only of its appearance in Season 4 of Borgen, but also of its status as the world's most padded baleen whale, and its history of coming close to extinction.

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Nukissiorfiit worker is moving ice with poclain in Qaanaaq. Photo by Aningaaq R Carlsen - Visit Greenland

When ice becomes (drinking) water: Greenland’s energy heroes

Employees of Greenland's utility company, Nukissiorfiit, work every day to ensure that residents across the country have access to vital energy, water and heat.

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Muskox under the sun in Jameson Land. Photo by Bo Normander

Musk oxen and sandstone mountains in Jameson Land

A hike in the northeastern Greenlandic wilderness in Jameson Land offers incredible mountain landscapes and intimate experiences with the large musk oxen that dig into the local vegetation.

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About Visit Greenland

Behind Greenland's largest travel site is the Visit Greenland that is 100% owned by the Government of Greenland, who is responsible for marketing the country's adventures and opportunities for guests wishing to visit the world's largest island.
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Tjodhildes Church Tjodhilde's church - a reconstruction of church from the norse presence in Greenland 1,000 years ago. By Mads Pihl Hvalsey Church Ruin
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