UUNARTOQS MANY LEGENDS AND HISTORICAL EVENTS

The hot springs at Uunartoq have been known for thousands of years. During the Viking era there was even a Benedictine Abbey in the fiord close by Uunartoq. One old story is about Leif Ericsson who, a thousand years ago, decided to go for a swim so that he would be clean and presentable before setting sail and going off towards the west in search of new land.

In spite of the allure that the island has had on those passing by, it has never been permanently settled. Maybe this is a result of the stories about ghosts that, according to hearsay, haunt the springs, and who often hide in the sea and summer fog common in the area.

The real reason could, of course, be the sparse vegetation and the harsh climate so close to the Ice Cap, and in a fiord filled with icebergs. But who knows?

What we do know, however, is no matter which way you choose to look at it, Uunartoq has been a key excursion area for thousands of years in Southern Greenland.