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80-470: The fjord mouth is located at approximately 67°01′00″N 53°50′00″W  /  67.01667°N 53.83333°W  / 67.01667; -53.83333 , 12 km (7.5 mi) to the northwest of the town of Sisimiut . In the northeast, the fjord is bounded by the partially glaciated Aqqutikitsoq massif, culminating in 1,448 m (4,751 ft). To the northwest, undulating terrain under Akornata Qaqqaa mountain (801 m (2,628 ft)) constitutes

160-427: A nationality and reserve the word "ethnic" for the description of recent immigrants , sometimes referred to as "new Danes". The contemporary Danish national identity is based on the idea of "Danishness", which is founded on principles formed through historical cultural connections and is typically not based on ethnic heritage. Denmark has been inhabited by various Germanic peoples since ancient times, including

240-476: A 611 m (2,005 ft) trabant overlooking Sisimiut. To the east the ridge gradually falls to nearly 300 m (980 ft), before turning east-north-east towards the Aappilattorsuaq massif. The southern wall of Nasaasaaq falls directly to Amerloq Fjord. The northern wall is not a uniform surface, dissected by ledges, dihedrals, and ramps. The main access route to the summit leads through one of

320-654: A concept, det danske folk (the Danish people) played an important role in 19th-century ethnic nationalism and refers to self-identification rather than a legal status. Use of the term is most often restricted to a historical context; the historic German-Danish struggle regarding the status of the Duchy of Schleswig vis-à-vis a Danish nation-state . It describes people of Danish nationality , both in Denmark and elsewhere–most importantly, ethnic Danes in both Denmark proper and

400-588: A conference centre. The other restaurant of note is the Misigisaq Restaurant , located at the harbor. It is the only Chinese restaurant in the country and it uses Greenlandic ingredients cooked in the Chinese style. The town has a heated open-air swimming pool, which is supported on stilts so that the heat does not melt the permafrost. Several camping sites are located in Sisimiut valley and near

480-557: A good relationship with the archbishop of Bremen , at that time the archbishop of all Scandinavia . Over the next centuries, the Danish empire expanded throughout the southern Baltic coast. Under the 14th century king Olaf II , Denmark acquired control of the Kingdom of Norway , which included the territories of Norway , Iceland and the Faroese Islands . Olaf's mother, Margrethe I , united Norway, Sweden and Denmark into

560-526: A large number of historical artifacts it is currently listed as a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Site , with the application received in 2003. There are no signs of Norse settlement in the region. At the time of Hans Egede 's establishment of the first Danish colonies, Dutch whalers dominated the area and swiftly burnt down his Bergen Company whaling station on Nipisat Island , approximately 30 km (19 mi) to

640-515: A library, a Post Greenland office and a small hospital/health centre with 19 beds. There are advanced plans for the Alcoa aluminium smelting plant. Maniitsoq , the second-largest town in the municipality, is another proposed location alongside Sisimiut. The plant would provide employment for 600–700 people, or more than 10% of the population. As it is a vital decision for the town, wide public consultations were carried out in 2008–2010 by both

720-553: A modern suburb -style housing slated for construction in the 2010s. Several professional and general schools are based in Sisimiut, providing education to the inhabitants of the city and to those from smaller settlements in the region. The new Taseralik Culture Centre is the second cultural centre to be established in Greenland, after Katuaq in Nuuk. The city has its own bus line, and is the northernmost year-round ice-free port in

800-403: A more modern approach, also used. Transport within a town is usually done by foot, although both private cars and the city bus – which drives loops through town – are popular. In the 2000s construction of the 170 km (110 mi) road to Kangerlussuaq has been discussed for several years. The road would be the first of its kind in Greenland, connecting two far-away settlements, and reducing

880-615: A reservoir under Alanngorsuaq. Water is also pumped to the waterworks from another lake around 2.5 kilometers away in the mountains. The water mains are preinsulated and electrically heated to supply the residents during the winter months. The water supply network is capable of producing some 882,000 cubic meters of water per year; two water-supplying lakes by the town have a combined annual minimum capacity of more than 7.2 million cubic meters. Tourist facilities in Sisimiut include several youth hostels and hotels, such as Hotel Sisimiut with Restaurant Nasaasaaq , and Seaman's Home , and

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960-481: A settlement site for around 4,500 years, with the people of the Saqqaq culture arriving from Arctic Canada during the first wave of immigration, occupying numerous sites on the coast of western Greenland. At that time, the shoreline was up to several dozen meters above the present line, gradually decreasing in time due to post-glacial rebound . The Saqqaq remained in western Greenland for nearly two millennia. Unlike

1040-459: A short, 799 m (2,621 ft) runway suitable only for STOL airplanes. Travel outside of Greenland is routed with a change of planes at Kangerlussuaq Airport . Air Greenland operates scheduled services to Nuuk, Maniitsoq , and Ilulissat . Taxis as well as an infrequent town bus service connect the airport with the centre of Sisimiut. For most of the year, Sisimiut is served twice-weekly by coastal ferries of Arctic Umiaq Line which link

1120-399: A state-owned chain of all-purpose general stores in Greenland, are based in Sisimiut. The Pilersuisoq chain operates in all small settlements in the country, as well as smaller towns which are not covered by supermarket chains. A range of shops operate in Sisimiut, from chain supermarkets of Pisiffik and Brugsen to independent outlets, also serving supplies to the smaller settlements in

1200-405: A state-owned chain of all-purpose general stores in Greenland, have their base in Sisimiut. Architecturally, Sisimiut is a mix of traditional, single-family houses, and communal housing, with apartment blocks raised in the 1960s during a period of town expansion in Greenland. Sisimiut is still expanding, with the area north of the port, on the shore of the small Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay reserved for

1280-400: Is twinned with: Sisimiut has friendship links with: Danes Danes ( Danish : danskere , pronounced [ˈtænskɐɐ] ), or Danish people , are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard themselves as

1360-484: Is a mix of the Inuit and Danish peoples, who first settled in the area in the 1720s, under the leadership of the Danish missionary , Hans Egede . Today, Sisimiut is the largest business centre north of the national capital of Nuuk and is one of the fastest growing cities in Greenland . Fishing is the principal industry in Sisimiut, although the town has a growing industrial base. KNI and its subsidiary Pilersuisoq ,

1440-552: Is also notable for its special unit, the Women's High School ( Greenlandic : Arnat ilinniarfiat ) added in 1977, and focusing on traditional arts. During summer, the school building is used as a hostel. In autumn 2002, the school was responsible for erecting a series of stone sculptures around Sisimiut: near the airport, in the municipal building, at the Gertrud Rask Minde children's home, at Arnat Ilinniarfiat and around

1520-553: Is located approximately 320 km (200 mi) north of Nuuk, and 75 km (47 mi) north of the Arctic Circle , on the eastern shores of Davis Strait , perched on a series of rocky outcrops at the western end of a large peninsula bounded from the north by the Kangerluarsuk Tulleq fjord and from the south by the wide Amerloq Fjord . Immediately to the north of Sisimiut a small inlet of Davis Strait,

1600-591: Is located in the eastern part of Sisimiut, on the shore of the Nalunnguarfik lake. The centre often hosts traveling theatre troupes, as well as concerts, from classical to folk music. The Sisimiut Culture Day on 21 November is also celebrated at Taseralik. Greenlandic handicrafts, created in a workshop located in an old warehouse on the old harbor, are sold in the Greenland Travel Incoming's Arts n' Craft , and in several small shops along

1680-492: Is no true polar night in winter time. With 5,582 inhabitants in 2020, Sisimiut is one of the fastest-growing towns in Greenland, with migrants from the smaller settlements reinforcing the trend. Apart from Kangerlussuaq, it is the only settlement in the Qeqqata municipality exhibiting stable growth patterns over the last two decades. The gender imbalance is evident in Sisimiut, with men consistently outnumbering women during

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1760-513: Is part of an outdoor exhibition. The exhibition includes the remains of a kayak from the 18th century and the Poul Madsen collection, a collection of handcraft, art, house items and ethnographic objects compiled over fifty years. The Greenlandic stone exhibition is housed in the Bygge og Anlægsskolen building. The modern Taseralik Culture Centre ( Greenlandic : Taseralik Kulturikkut )

1840-449: Is rooted in the birth of the Danish national state during the 19th century. In this regard, Danish national identity was built on a basis of peasant culture and Lutheran theology , with Grundtvig and his popular movement playing a prominent part in the process. Two defining cultural criteria of being Danish were speaking the Danish language and identifying Denmark as a homeland. The ideology of Danishness has been politically important in

1920-625: The Angles , Cimbri , Jutes , Herules , Teutones and others. The first mention of Danes within Denmark is on the Jelling Rune Stone , which mentions the conversion of the Danes to Christianity by Harald Bluetooth in the 10th century. Between c.  960 and the early 980s, Bluetooth established a kingdom in the lands of the Danes, stretching from Jutland to Scania. Around

2000-626: The Danish Golden Age during which a Danish national identity first came to be fully formed. The Danish liberal and national movements gained momentum in the 1830s, and after the European revolutions of 1848 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. The growing bourgeoisie had demanded a share in government, and in an attempt to avert the sort of bloody revolution occurring elsewhere in Europe, Frederick VII gave in to

2080-457: The Danish language and the emotional relation to and identification with the nation of Denmark as the defining criteria of Danishness. This cultural definition of ethnicity has been suggested to be one of the reasons that Denmark was able to integrate their earliest ethnic minorities of Jewish and Polish origins into the Danish ethnic group with much more success than neighboring Germany. Jewishness

2160-652: The Disko Bay region, while the further to the south, the poorer the finds, disappearing completely on the coast of Labrador Sea in southwestern Greenland. The Inuit of the Thule culture —whose descendants form the majority of the current population—arrived nearly a thousand years ago, with the first arrivals dated to approximately 13th and 14th century. The Thule people were more technologically advanced than their Dorset predecessors, although they still relied on subsistence hunting, with walruses , reindeer, and particularly

2240-710: The German lands in the early 16th century from the ideas of Martin Luther (1483–1546), had a considerable impact on Denmark. The Danish Reformation started in the mid-1520s. Some Danes wanted access to the Bible in their own language. In 1524, Hans Mikkelsen and Christiern Pedersen translated the New Testament into Danish ; it became an instant best-seller. Those who had traveled to Wittenberg in Saxony and come under

2320-584: The Kalmar Union . In 1523, Sweden won its independence, leading to the dismantling of the Kalmar Union and the establishment of Denmark–Norway . Denmark–Norway grew wealthy during the 16th century, largely because of the increased traffic through the Øresund . The Crown of Denmark could tax the traffic, because it controlled both sides of the Sound at the time. The Reformation , which originated in

2400-546: The Qeqqata municipality , the second-largest city in Greenland , and the largest Arctic city in North America. It is located in central-western Greenland , on the coast of Davis Strait , approximately 320 km (200 mi) north of Nuuk . Sisimiut literally means "the residents at the foxholes" ( Danish : Beboerne ved rævehulerne ). The site has been inhabited for the last 4,500 years, first by peoples of

2480-406: The Saqqaq culture , then Dorset culture , and then the Thule people , whose Inuit descendants form the majority of the current population. Artifacts from the early settlement era can be found throughout the region, favored in the past for its plentiful fauna , particularly the marine mammals providing subsistence for the early hunting societies. The population of modern Greenlanders in Sisimiut

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2560-519: The fur seals constituting the base of the economy in the early period. The shoreline was still at a higher altitude than today, with the Sisimiut valley east of the Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay , partially under sea. Many artifacts and graves from the several centuries of permanent settlement remain scattered in the region. Rich in fauna , the coastal region from Sisimiut to Kangaamiut was particularly attractive for migrants, and due to

2640-414: The 1960s, Danish authorities began construction of communal apartment blocks in most towns in Greenland, including Sisimiut. Unlike in Nuuk, the modern environmentally friendly construction technologies have not yet arrived to Sisimiut, and in 2010 the existing communal-block district remained in a state of partial disrepair. The Qeqqata municipality however is planning the town expansion in the 2010s, with

2720-680: The Danish College of Missions in Copenhagen which underwrote and directed the missionary work in the colony. At the time of its founding, the Kalaallisut name of the place was Amerlok , after its fjord. The colonists formally established several villages in the region, of which only two remain to this day: Itilleq and Sarfannguit . Under the Royal Greenland Trading Department , Holsteinsborg

2800-549: The Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay ( Danish : Ulkebugten ), separates the town from the Palasip Qaqqaa massif in the north, at the southern foot of which the town airport is located. The 544 m (1,785 ft) high twin summit commands a wide view in all directions, with the majority of the coast of the Qeqqata municipality visible in good conditions. The bay is navigable in its entirety, protected from

2880-596: The Kangerluarsunnguaq bay. During winter, a ski lift operates at the foot of the Alanngorsuaq mountain, at the base of the northern slopes of Nasaasaaq . Tourism is becoming increasingly important, with several outfitter companies based in town. Year-round operations offered include dogsledding , heliskiing , guided hiking, mountaineering , kayaking , and boating. The tough, 160 km (99 mi) long Arctic Circle Race takes place each winter, with

2960-569: The United States are located in Solvang, California , and Racine, Wisconsin , but these populations are not considered to be Danes for official purposes by the Danish government , and heritage alone can not be used to claim Danish citizenship, as it can in some European nations. According to the 2006 Census, there were 200,035 Canadians with Danish background , 17,650 of whom were born in Denmark. Canada became an important destination for

3040-583: The United States, Brazil , Canada , Greenland and Argentina . Danish Americans ( Dansk-amerikanere ) are Americans of Danish descent. There are approximately 1,500,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. Most Danish-Americans live in the Western United States or the Midwestern United States . California has the largest population of people of Danish descent in the United States. Notable Danish communities in

3120-450: The administrative centre of the new unit, consisting also of the former Maniitsoq Municipality and the previously unincorporated area of Kangerlussuaq . The municipal council, seated in the town hall and headed by Mayor Hermann Berthelsen , consists of 13 members, including the mayor and his deputies, and representatives of the four primary political parties of Greenland: Siumut , Atassut , Democrats and Inuit Ataqatigiit . Sisimiut

3200-500: The ancient Saqqaq culture settlements near the town, offering an insight into the culture of the region of 4,000 years ago. The museum also hosts a collection of tools and domestic items collected during 1902–22, an inventory from the Old Church with the original altarpiece dated to approximately 1650, and paintings from the 1790s. The peat house reconstruction of an early 20th-century Greenlandic residence with domestic furniture

3280-426: The area north of the Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay reserved for real estate. The new neighborhood will bear the name Akia. Fishing is the principal industry in Sisimiut, with harvested stocks of shrimps , salmon , halibut and cod . The Royal Greenland fish processing plant at the port is the largest within Greenland and is amongst the most modern shrimp-shelling factories in the world. In 2008, supplied by 8 boats and

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3360-520: The centuries after this loss of territory, the populations of the Scanian lands , who had previously been considered Danish, came to be fully integrated as Swedes . In the early 19th century, Denmark suffered a defeat in the Napoleonic Wars ; Denmark lost control over Norway and territories in what is now northern Germany . The political and economic defeat ironically sparked what is known as

3440-475: The changing settlement pattern, exhibiting transition from the single-family dwellings to tiny villages of several families. The types of dwelling varied from tent rings made of the hides of hunted mammals , to stone hearths , with no evidence of communal living in larger structures. In contrast, there is evidence for reindeer hunting as a coordinated effort of either villagers or groups of more loosely related individuals, with gathering places in proximity of

3520-476: The communities of the western coast. There is also a weekly Royal Arctic Line ferry to Itilleq and Sarfannguit . The port in Sisimiut is the northernmost year-round ice-free port in Greenland, serving as the country's primary maritime base north of Nuuk. Supply ships from the port head north, serving the entire coast, from the Uummannaq Fjord region, through Upernavik Archipelago , to Qaanaaq in

3600-485: The construction of a shipping port, and a fish processing factory of Royal Greenland in 1924, the first such factory in Greenland. Fishing remains the primary occupation of Sisimiut inhabitants, with the town becoming the leading centre of shrimping and shrimp processing . Until 2008 Sisimiut had been the administrative centre of Sisimiut Municipality , which was then incorporated into the new Qeqqata Municipality on 1 January 2009, with Sisimiut retaining its status as

3680-463: The country, a shipping base for western and northwestern Greenland. Supply ships head from the commercial port towards smaller settlements in more remote regions of Uummannaq Fjord , Upernavik Archipelago , and as far as Qaanaaq in northern Greenland. Sisimiut Airport , the town airport is served by Air Greenland , providing connections to other towns on the western coast of Greenland, and through Kangerlussuaq Airport , to Europe. Sisimiut has been

3760-412: The demands of the citizens. A new constitution emerged, separating the powers and granting the franchise to all adult males, as well as freedom of the press, religion, and association. The king became head of the executive branch . Danishness ( danskhed ) is the concept on which contemporary Danish national and ethnic identity is based. It is a set of values formed through the historic trajectory of

3840-462: The factory trawlers, the plant processed an annual amount of 20,180 tons of shrimp, around 1,680 tons per month. This was roughly constant throughout the year, although when fish catches were larger the fish was frozen. The plant eventually sold around 6,019 tonnes of shrimp. Hunting is also important to some of the local livelihoods, mainly seals , walrus , beluga whale , narwhal , reindeer and muskoxen . KNI and its subsidiary Pilersuisoq ,

3920-597: The far north. M/S Akamalik , one of the largest ships in the fleet of Royal Greenland , is based in Sisimiut. Home to the first shipyard of Greenland dating from 1931, the port also handles more than 50 cruise liners per year. The local kayak club operates at the bay harbor east of the port. Roads in Sisimiut, including the road to the airport, are surfaced, but there is no proper road linking Sisimiut to any other settlement, like in all of Greenland. The town has its own bus network. In winter dog sled routes are used to link to settlements further north. Snowmobiles are, as

4000-515: The following waves of migrants in the millennium following their disappearance, the Saqqaq left behind a substantial number of artifacts, with plentiful archeological finds on the coast of Davis Strait, from Disko Bay ( Greenlandic : Qeqertarsuup Tunua ) in the north—to the coast of Labrador Sea near Nuuk in the south. Research at the Asummiut excavation site near the airport has uncovered

4080-454: The formation of the Danish nation. The ideology of Danishness emphasizes the notion of historical connection between the population and the territory of Denmark and the relation between the thousand-year-old Danish monarchy and the modern Danish state, the 19th-century national romantic idea of "the people" ( folk ), a view of Danish society as homogeneous and socially egalitarian as well as strong cultural ties to other Scandinavian nations. As

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4160-430: The former Danish Duchy of Schleswig . Excluded from this definition are people from the formerly Norway, Faroe Islands , and Greenland ; members of the German minority; and members of other ethnic minorities. Importantly, since its formulation, Danish identity has not been linked to a particular racial or biological heritage, as many other ethno-national identities have. N. F. S. Grundtvig , for example, emphasized

4240-463: The former Danish territory of Southern Schleswig ( Sydslesvig) , now located within the borders of Germany, forming around ten percent of the local population. In Denmark, the latter group is often referred to as "Danes south of the border" ( De danske syd for grænsen ), the "Danish-minded" ( de dansksindede ), or simply "South Schleswigers". Due to immigration there are considerable populations with Danish roots outside Denmark in countries such as

4320-506: The formulation of Danish political relations with the EU , which has been met with considerable resistance in the Danish population, and in recent reactions in the Danish public to the increasing influence of immigration . The Danish diaspora consists of emigrants and their descendants, especially those who maintain some of the customs of their Danish culture. A minority of approximately fifty thousand Danish-identifying German citizens live in

4400-607: The hunting grounds being found. Despite recent advances in DNA research based on hair samples from the ancient Saqqaq migrants (which gives insight into their origin), the reason for the decline and subsequent disappearance of the culture are not yet known. After several hundred years of no permanent habitation, the second wave of migration arrived from Canada, bringing the Dorset people to western Greenland. The first wave of immigrants, known as Dorset I, arrived around 500 BCE , inhabiting

4480-674: The influence of the teachings of Luther and his associates included Hans Tausen , a Danish monk in the Order of St John Hospitallers . In the 17th century Denmark–Norway colonized Greenland . After a failed war with the Swedish Empire , the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 removed the areas of the Scandinavian peninsula from Danish control, thus establishing the boundaries between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden that exist to this day. In

4560-431: The last two decades, running from 20% in 1991, to 13% in 2000 and 2010. Nearly 10% of the town's inhabitants in 2010 were born outside Greenland, a decline from 16.5% in 1990 and 11.8% in 2000. Most families in Sisimiut live in single-family houses, most often the traditional colorful wooden prefabricated homes shipped from Denmark, and almost always raised or supported by a concrete foundation due to permafrost . In

4640-475: The main street. Greenland stones and sealskin products are created in the Natseq and Panigiit workshops. Sisimiut Airport is located 4.1 km (2.5 mi) to the northwest of the town, at the mouth of the Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay. Before the airport was opened in the 1990s, Sisimiut had been served by the now-closed heliport, located on the eastern outskirts of the town, in the Sisimiut valley. The airport has

4720-483: The need for passenger and freight exchange at Kangerlussuaq Airport, the Air Greenland hub. The cost of around €40 M for a proper paved road prevented construction, but instead a decision was made to build a very simple gravel road for terrain adapted vehicles. The road was in construction along the route during 2021 and was finished all the way during 2022, at a cost of 25 million DKK (€3 M ). Sisimiut

4800-601: The north of the present-day town. It was not until Jacob Severin was granted a full monopoly on the Greenlandic trade and permitted to act as an agent of the Danish navy that the Dutch were finally removed in a series of battles in 1738 and 1739. The present town was established in 1764 by the General Trade Company as the trading post of Holsteinsborg ("Fort Holstein"), named for the first chairman of

4880-472: The only months of the year in which the average lows are above 1 °C (34 °F), both at 3.3 °C (37.9 °F). Precipitation is very low in Sisimiut, with the greatest amount of rainfall occurring in the second half of the year, between July and December, with August and September being the wettest months. The sea winds from Davis Strait moderate the climate, with the area known for its fogs . Sisimiut has midnight sun from 3 June to 9 July, but there

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4960-419: The open sea by a series of skerries in the west. Both the local port and the local sailing harbor are located on the southern shore of the bay. The 2.2  NM (4.1 km; 2.5 mi) road to the airport passes through the bridge over the Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay. Halfway between the town and the airport there is a small beach of dark sand. The beach, as well as the skerries off the coast, are very popular in

5040-495: The potential for 7,200,000 m (9,400,000 cu yd) annually. To the southeast, the valley is bounded by the Nasaasaaq massif with several distinct summits, the highest of which is 784 m (2,572 ft). The Nasaasaaq ridge has several summits. The main summit is the most prominent, rising over the remainder of the ridge in a tall 150 m (490 ft) cone at 784 m (2,572 ft). The ridge terminates in

5120-471: The ramps to the saddle between the main summit and its western trabant. The passage on the top cone is secured by ropes for unprepared tourists. One of the variants of the Polar Route follows the coast of Amerloq Fjord at the base of the southern wall of Nasaasaaq. The main summit is visited for its long-range view of the coast, although more limited to the north than that of Palasip Qaqqaa to the north of

5200-482: The region for the next 700 years. The early Dorset people were followed later by the Dorset II people, although no artifacts have been discovered from the later era around Sisimiut, and few artifacts from the era of Dorset I have been uncovered in archaeological sites, with the finds often limited to harpoon heads and numerous animal bones. The largest number of Dorset culture artifacts can be found further north in

5280-445: The region. Polaroil , a liquid fuel distribution company, is headquartered in Sisimiut. It employs 70 staff and operates 70 stations in Greenland. The headquarters were moved from Maniitsoq to Sisimiut in the late 2000s. In 2010 KNI announced plans to also move the operational base of Polaroil from Maniitsoq to Sisimiut, causing protests in the former community already experiencing depopulation. Other facilities include two banks,

5360-450: The rocky pedestal was built in 1926, further extended in 1984. The entrance to the yard with the old church and other protected historical buildings is decorated with a unique gate made of whale jawbone. In 1801, a smallpox epidemic decimated the population of Sisimiut and other coastal settlements, although the population growth quickly resumed due to plentiful marine life on the coast. The 20th century saw industrialization , through

5440-682: The same time, he received a visit from a German missionary who, by surviving an ordeal by fire according to legend, convinced Harold to convert to Christianity . The following years saw the Danish Viking expansion , which incorporated Norway and England into the Danish North Sea Empire . After the death of Canute the Great in 1035, England broke away from Danish control. Canute's nephew Sweyn Estridson (1020–74) re-established strong royal Danish authority and built

5520-696: The school itself. The other educational centres in Sisimiut are: Sanaartornermik Ilinniarfik , the construction engineering school with capacity for 200 students, the Arctic Technology Centre; Piareersarfik , the vocational institution for the service industry professionals, and Oqaatsinik Pikkorissarfik , a foreign language school. Located in a historical building near the harbor, the Sisimiut Museum specializes in Greenlandic trade, industry and shipping, with artifacts based on ten years of archaeological research and excavations of

5600-479: The shores of the fjord. The closest settlement is Sisimiut to the southeast of Palasip Qaqqaa. There are two utility huts at the head of the fjord, maintained by the authorities of Sisimiut. They serve as shelter for hikers on the Polar Route from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq, and for overnight dogsled trips from the town. The tough, 160 km (99 mi) long Arctic Circle Race takes place each winter, with

5680-491: The south, the fjord is bounded by the long Majoriaq range, culminating in the west in the Ujarasussuliup Qaqqaa (423 m (1,388 ft)) and Palasip Qaqqaa (544 m (1,785 ft)) mountains. The east–west range continues through Aappilattorsuaq massif (907 m (2,976 ft)) to the east, connecting with the northern range to the northeast of the head of the fjord. There are no settlements on

5760-476: The summer. To the east, a wide valley extends into the interior of the peninsula, bounded from the north by the conjoint massif of Palasip Qaqqaa and Majoriaq, dissected by the Qerrortusup Majoriaa valley alongside which leads the Polar Route from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq. Depending on variants, the route is between 150 km (93 mi) and 170 km (110 mi) long. In the middle of

5840-638: The terminal point of a long mountain range extending from the Pingu mountain group halfway between Davis Strait and the Greenland ice sheet ( Greenlandic : Sermersuaq ). The range flattens considerably towards the east in the area of Kangaamiut dike swarm north of Kangerlussuaq , due to pressure exerted by the icesheet for long periods in the past. The head of the fjord is located at approximately 66°59′48″N 53°12′04″W  /  66.99667°N 53.20111°W  / 66.99667; -53.20111 . To

5920-673: The town airport. An alternative route to the top of interest to mountaineers leads through the hard to find low pass to the east of the main summit, and from there directly on the summit cone ridge. Sisimiut has a polar tundra climate ( Köppen climate classification ET ). The average high temperature is 10 °C (50 °F) or lower throughout the year. The coldest months on average are February and March which have average highs of −10.2 °C (13.6 °F) and −10.1 °C (13.8 °F) respectively. The warmest months are July and August which have average highs of 9.8 °C (49.6 °F) and 9.3 °C (48.7 °F) respectively and are

6000-538: The town authorities and the Government of Greenland in order to address potential environmental and social concerns. The Sisimiut Hydro Power Plant is located north of the town. The plant has two turbines providing 15 megawatts of power and the electricity from the plant is transferred to Sisimiut by a 27.4 km (17.0 mi) long high voltage line. Although rainfall is low, Sismiut has abundant natural supplies of fresh, drinkable surface water, collected from

6080-491: The trail partially overlapping with the Arctic Circle Trail at the head of the fjord. The race was inaugurated in 1998, since then becoming an international competition. 67°00′N 53°30′W  /  67.000°N 53.500°W  / 67.000; -53.500 Sisimiut Sisimiut ( Greenlandic: [sisimiut] ), formerly known as Holsteinsborg , is the capital and largest city of

6160-500: The trail partially overlapping with the Polar Route from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq. The race was inaugurated in 1998, since then becoming an international competition. The Knud Rasmussen High School ( Knud Rasmussenip Højskolia ), founded in 1962, is located on the eastern outskirts of the town, west of the old heliport site. Apart from the traditional curriculum, it provides specialized courses in Greenland history and culture including skin preparation and ski instruction. The school

6240-451: The valley towers a standalone Alanngorsuaq mountain (411 m (1,348 ft)), surrounded by several lakes, one of which serves Sisimiut town as a water reservoir . The entire area of the valley is another popular picnic destination, with easy access to the water reservoirs by a gravel road in the middle part of the valley. The reservoirs in the valley provide the town waterworks with 882,000 m (1,154,000 cu yd) of water, with

6320-419: Was a centre of the trade in reindeer skins. Several 18th-century buildings still stand in Sisimiut, among them the 1725 Gammelhuset ("Old House") and the 1775 Bethel-kirken ("Bethel Church") or Blå Kirke ("Blue Church"), the oldest surviving church in Greenland. The buildings were moved from the former site of the settlement at Ukiivik (Holsteinsborg) together with the rest of the settlement. The new church on

6400-520: Was not seen as being incompatible with a Danish ethnic identity, as long as the most important cultural practices and values were shared. This inclusive ethnicity has in turn been described as the background for the relative lack of virulent antisemitism in Denmark and the rescue of the Danish Jews , saving 99% of Denmark's Jewish population from the Holocaust . Modern Danish cultural identity

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