The “Arctic Metropolis”

Nuuk was founded by the Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede. When he set foot on land on the 29th of August in 1728, he could not have imagined that that remote place would develop into an arctic metropolis – an arctic center of growth with roads, cars, factories and skyscrapers each with foundations in its past, a life in the present and a direct course heading into the future.

Nuuk offers many worthwhile sites. The past is represented in the beautiful colony harbor with its old, colorful wooden houses, the National Museum with its several hundred years old mummies, and the kayak club which trains in traditional arts. Here it is light 24 hours a day during the summer, there is snow and northern lights in the winter, golden tones in the Fall, and greens that peek out in the Spring.

As you move a little further into the city you will meet the modern Greenland. In only a few years Nuuk has developed a kaleidoscope of art and culture, restaurants and rich possibilities for leisure time activities. In 1997, Greenland’s Culture Center, Katuaq, opened with year round programs offering concerts, film, art exhibitions and fashion shows.

In the attached cafe the young and old meet and enjoy one another over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake to discuss the weather, always a topic of great debate in Nuuk. Should one be more hungry, the restaurants of the city are standing in line prepared to serve traditional Greenlandic dishes, Thai curry or even Mongolian barbecue.

Nuuk also has Greenland’s only grass golf course and just recently in 2003, the city opened the prize winning swimming hall Malik. The possibilities in Nuuk are numerous and the quality high. And, the fantastic nature surrounding the city offers unending opportunities whether it might be skiing, sailing, caribou hunting, paragliding or just the exotic experience of living side by side with seals and whales.

Despite its having only 15,000 inhabitants, Nuuk is known as the Nuuk. With the completion of a splinter new university which is expected to be finished in 2008, the framework for the development of young academic talent will be created in which they can then enjoy a lively exchange with other northerly learning institutions.

Foreign firms have not been too shy to observe the rich possibilities and establish themselves here in the town. The latest has been the great interest in the city as the center for mineral prospecting and mining.

There will be even more focus on Nuuk in 2008. Nuuk will be the main site of the international Winter Cities Conference which attracts mayors, experts and researchers from the entire world. Two years later it will be the sportsmen from the entire Arctic that get their turn when Nuuk will most certainly again host the Arctic Winter Carnes.

The famous Greenlandic hospitality also lives well in Nuuk and the city therefore welcomes everyone regardless if they come as tourists, immigrants or to establish their businesses. Therefore: Welcome to Nuuk! Nuummut tikilluaritsi!