Greenland - Upernavik, Denmark

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Upernavik means 'place of spring' - the hunters moved here after spending the winter further inland. Upernavik's location on the small island facing the open sea makes Upernavik unusual in comparison with other Greenland towns. Its location on the side of a hill provides a fantastic view of the Davis Strait. The town's landmark, the 1,100 m high Qaarsorsuaq Mountain, can be seen 10 km from the town on the southern horizon. A unique bird life also populates the area, which is also the location of the world's largest bird cliff, Apparsuit. The town of Upernavik was founded in 1772. The more than 200-years-old buildings, the school from 1911, and a turf house are now the world's northernmost open-air museum. More than half of the municipality's 3,000 inhabitants live in ten settlements spread along a coastal stretch of 450 kilometers. Here the primary occupation is fishing for Greenland halibut, but hunting still plays a decisive role for employment in the settlements. Narwhals are still caught in Melleville Bay using traditional methods from kayaks, and belugas and polar bears are also hunted. Since the sea freezes over from December to June, transport to the fishing sites is by dogsled or snowmobile. During this time the fishing is done using long lines under the ice. As they have done for millennia, the hunters either catch the seals in nets or hunt them in spring as the seals sun themselves on the ice.

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