Uunartoq (island)
| Uunartoq (island) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Uunartup Kangerlua | |
| Geographical location | 60 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ N , 45 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ W | |
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| length | 5.5 km | |
| width | 2.5 km | |
| Highest elevation | 50 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Uunartoq is an island in southern Greenland known for its thermal springs . It is covered by polar tundra vegetation and is currently uninhabited.
The three hot springs are located on the north-west coast of the island about 50 m above sea level. Their temperature is between 31 and 37 ° C. They were already known to the Vikings and are mentioned in sagas . They were said to have healing properties, which is why they were the property of the church, the monastery of St. Olaf , for a long time . Today the springs are a popular destination for tourists and locals from the nearby Alluitsup Paa , they are even equipped with a changing room.
Another attraction on the island are the Inuit ruins from the 18th and 19th centuries on the southeast coast. In 1930, mummified human remains and artifacts were discovered here in the abandoned settlement of Qerrortuut , most of which were removed from the site. The Danish prehistorian Therkel Mathiassen (1892-1967) found further graves with mummies in 1934, which are dated to the 17th century. The majority of the graves were damaged, but three complete, mummified children, wrapped in seal skins, were recovered.
literature
- Lonely Planet Publications (Ed.): Lonely Planet Iceland, Greenland & the Faroe Islands . 4th edition. 2001, ISBN 978-0-86442-686-4 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ T. Ammitzbøll, M. Bencard, J. Bodenhoff, Rolf Gilberg, A. Johansson, Jørgen Meldgaard, Gerda Møller, Rigmor Møller, E. Svejgaard, L. Vanggaard: Clothing . In: Jens Peder Hart Hansen, Jørgen Meldgaard, Jørgen Nordqvist (eds.): The Greenland Mummies . British Museum Publications, London 1991, ISBN 0-7141-2500-8 , pp. 116-149 .