Sites & cities that bear the name of Qoornoq

Qoornoq

Today in : Greenland
First trace of activity : ca. 22nd century B.C.E
Last trace of activity : 1974 C.E
Recorded names : K'ôrnoĸ, Qôrnoq

Description : Qoornoq (old spelling: Qôrnoq) is an uninhabited fishing village in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. The area was known to have been inhabited by the ancient pre-Inuit, Paleo-Eskimo people of the Saqqaq culture as far back as 2200 BC. It still contains archaeological ruins of ancient Inuit and Norse buildings. The site was excavated in 1952 and the remains of an old Norse farm and ancient tools were discovered. The outside walls of the farm are double hatched and contain several Inuit houses. The last permanent resident left in 1972. Descendants of former residents often come to their houses in the summer by boat. Qoornoq also once had a railway used for transporting fish. The railway was used in the 1950s, with a small diesel-hydraulic locomotive hauling flat wagons full of fish. The line closed shortly before the town's last resident left.

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