Hvalsey

Hvalsey is a medieval Norse settlement site on the southern coast of Greenland in Kujalleq municipality, notable for having some of the best-preserved Norse stone ruins on the island. It is associated with the final written record of the Norse in Greenland.

The principal feature is the intact stone church ruin and the cluster of surrounding farm foundation walls. Visitors also see surviving burial markers and lengths of dressed stone walls that illustrate Norse masonry techniques.

The settlement was established and used by Norse Greenlanders during the medieval Norse period (part of the Norse settlements in Greenland between the 10th and 15th centuries). The site appears in written records when a marriage was documented there in 1408; the Norse settlements were later abandoned during the 15th century.

Hvalsey sits on the southern Greenland coast in Kujalleq municipality, near the town of Qaqortoq. It occupies a coastal setting of fjords and rocky shoreline characteristic of southern Greenland.

• Last recorded Norse event: The site is linked to the last known written record from Norse Greenland - a marriage recorded in 1408.

What to See #

• Hvalsey Church and farm remains: The stone church ruin is the most complete Norse church remain in Greenland and is the site's principal feature; surrounding foundation walls mark houses and farm plots from the medieval Norse settlement.