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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.

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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.

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

Diving into the Nuuk fjord as the sun is setting. Photo by Peter Lindstrom - Visit Greenland

Editor’s tips for 2021

Greenland’s on your bucket list for the new year - or perhaps even the year after - but when is the best time to visit Greenland and what are useful things to know before going? What are things to do in Greenland in winter as opposed to summer?

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Disko Bay Steam in Ilulissat Ice Fjord. Photo - David Trood, Visit Greenland

Greenland vs Iceland: The Arctic Travel Battle

10 basic differences between Greenland and Iceland you should know before booking your vacation.

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A glacier hiker on the Greenland Ice Sheet kicking up ice on a sunny day near Kangerlussuaq. Photo by Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland.

8 Things You Can Only Find in Greenland and Nowhere Else

Here is a list of things that you can find ONLY in Greenland and nowhere else in the world.

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Arctic hare in Ittoqqortoormiit. Photo by Bo Normander.

Beautiful hike in Ittoqqortoormiit in East Greenland

A hike to the abandoned village of Uunarteq (Cape Tobin) offers incomparably beautiful Arctic nature, challenging terrain and close encounters with snow hares, eider ducks, sea urchins and, if you are lucky / unlucky, polar bears.

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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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