Qassiarsuk

History

Brattahlíð is located by Tunulliarfik Fjord (Skovfjorden in Danish), and it was the site of Erik the Red's estate in the times of the Norse Eastern Settlement (Østerbygden in Danish). Ruins of several of the buildings, including living quarters, outhouses, and a church, are still clearly visible.{{cite web |access-date=June 4, 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225911/http://www.nabohome.org/publications/fieldreports/BrattahlidE29NFieldReport07.pdf |url-status=dead

The current village was founded as Greenland's first sheep farm in 1924 and is located in the same place.

Until 31 December 2008, the settlement was part of Narsaq Municipality in the Kitaa amt. On 1 January 2009, Qassiarsuk 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.

Geography

The settlement is located on Narsaq Peninsula roughly 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Narsarsuaq across the Tunulliarfik Fjord. It has fertile plains wider than those found at Narsaq on the southern end of the peninsula.

Infrastructure and transportation

The settlement has a general store operated by KNI,{{cite web |access-date=June 4, 2012

The electricity needs for the settlement are provided for by a local power station.

Transportation

The Qassiarsuk area has a relatively extensive network of traversable dirt and gravel roads, totalling over 80 kilometers and requiring DKK 500,000 annually for service.{{cite web |access-date = June 4, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120318050753/http://www.roadex.org/uploads/publications/docs-RIII-EN/The%20Greenlandic%20Case%20-%20RIII.pdf |archive-date = March 18, 2012

All vital transportation at Qassiarsuk is by sea, with boats linking the settlement to Narsarsuaq Airport, home to the only international airport in southern Greenland. The airport primarily functions as a transfer point for passengers heading for the helicopter hubs of Air Greenland in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. Qassiarsuk does not have its own heliport.

Economy

Qassiarsuk's economy is based on sheep husbandry and farming. This contrasts with the majority of Greenland's settlements, which are based on fishing.

There is also a thriving tourism industry in the area.{{cite web |access-date = June 4, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120317000018/http://www.randburg.com/gr/narsaqmu.html |archive-date = March 17, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806103806/http://www.greenland-guide.gl/leif2000/area.htm |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227034914/http://www.blueice.gl/pdf/Qassiarsuk%20area_uk.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=dead

Population

The population of Qassiarsuk has been stable in the last two decades.{{cite web |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721031245/http://bank2.stat.gl/ |archive-date=July 21, 2011

In Literature

The novel An Old Captivity by Nevil Shute is set in Brattahlíð (spelled "Brattalid" in the book), describing a 1930s archaeological expedition there.

References

References

1. "Population by Localities". Statistical Greenland.
2. Orri Vésteinsson. (January 2016). "Nomination to UNESCO's World Heritage List -- Kujataa: a subarctic farming landscape in Greenland". The Greenlandic Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Church.