Qaqortoq: Rock Art, Museums and Radio History

Qaqortoq brings together several clearly distinct themes for a trip: art in public spaces, museum collections, the history of radio communications and insights into the processing of seal skins. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Qaqortoq, these highlights can help you get a sense of the city based on your interests. The places and activities below differ in whether they involve an outdoor exhibition, a museum collection, a single museum theme or a group visit that can be arranged.

Rock Art and Design in the City

The outdoor exhibition “Stone and Man” comprises 40 sculptures, many of them carved directly into rock faces. The project was initiated by Aka Høegh. The number of works and the fact that they are carved into rock give the exhibition a distinctive profile. In addition, some residents of Qaqortoq decorate their house façades with artworks and include window frames in their designs to express their appreciation of design. These individual façade works offer a different approach to design than the named sculpture exhibition; individual displays may change. Those interested in design can therefore distinguish between a clearly identified art project and the personal touches on the houses.

Collections and Museum Themes

The Qaqortoq Museum is housed in a former colonial administration building built in 1804. Its collections include tupilak figures by carvers Aron and Cecilie Kleist. The museum also presents touring exhibitions and several permanent exhibitions; specific touring exhibitions may change. The museum therefore includes both collection pieces and different exhibition formats. It is next to the square in Qaqortoq; a Viking exhibition is located opposite. This location makes it easy to see the museum and the Viking exhibition as two separate destinations.

The TELE Museum has a different focus: it presents the history of radio communications. If you are more interested in communications history than in sculptures or collection pieces, it complements the art and exhibition themes with a clearly distinct perspective.

Great Greenland: Products and Insights into Production

At Great Greenland, the tannery and production facilities are located opposite the harbour in Qaqortoq. Visitors can explore the exhibition room independently, where they can view finished products and buy souvenirs. Guided tours provide insights into the production of seal-skin products. These are two different ways to visit: the exhibition room focuses on finished products, while the guided tours cover the production process. Check before your trip whether the exhibition room and guided tours are currently available.

Group Experiences That Can Be Arranged

For visitor groups, the tourist information centre in Qaqortoq can arrange Kaffemik gatherings. It can also arrange homemade dinners with Greenlandic families for groups. Both activities are intended for visitor groups, but they differ in format: a Kaffemik or a shared dinner. If you are travelling with a group, they offer a different way to engage with Qaqortoq than its exhibitions and museums. They complement the places described above with group activities that can be arranged.

Discover more destinations: Qassimiut, Alluitsoq, Narsaq, Narsarsuaq.

For the broader travel overview: Kommune Kujalleq.