Nuuk was founded by Danish missionary Hans Egede in 1728, at the location of an Inuit settlement called Nûk. He called his settlement Godthåb, which means 'Good Hope'. Later Greenland's capital got its local name of Nuuk.
When Godthåb started attracting more and more people from abroad, the native Inuit moved out of the city, as they thought it became too crowded. Later the city's population shrunk when it was decimated by epidemics of smallpox and tuberculosis, so the name Good Hope didn't turn out to be what it promised.
Nowadays Nuuk has a population of only about 20,000 people, but despite its small population and the enormous amount of empty land available, most people in Nuuk live in ugly concrete apartment blocks. There is little of interest in the city.
Some Hans Egede relics can be seen at Hans Egede's House, which was built in 1721, making it the oldest building in Greenland. Hans Egede also has a statue in Nuuk.
Anything else that might be of interest is located in the Greenland National Museum. There you can see several Eskimo mummies that were discovered by the Gronvold brothers in 1972. The mummies where dug up from a shallow grave not far from Qilaqitsoq and were originally buried around 1500. The museum also houses a collection of dogsleds, qajaq (kayaks), umiaqs, traditional tools, as well as Eskimo and Inuit art.
The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, or Nuuk Cathedral, was inaugurated in 1849. Its clock tower was added in 1884. Another interesting church is Hans Egede Church.
The Herrnhut House was the center of the Moravian mission of New Herrnhut.
Another interesting place in Nuuk is the Kolonihavnen, where many of the original buildings remain. It looks like an 18th-century fishing village and it is right in the center of town.
Nuuk is an excellent place to stay if you want to explore the mountainous hinterland. The large mountain that looms over the city is called Sermitsiaq. There are organized trips available and it is also possible to rent boats and other equipment in Nuuk.
Nuuk ©Bogomil Shopov
Northern lights over Nuuk ©Aningaaq Rosing Carlsen
