Itilleq

Arctic Circle Village
Itilleq means “the hollow” and this village is located about 50 km south of Sisimiut in the head of the Itilleq Fjord. Around 130 people live here, who are mainly engaged in hunting and fishing.

As its name suggests, the village is situated in a hollow, majestically surrounded by high mountains and glaciers, and it can truthfully be called the Arctic Circle Village as the Arctic Circle is indeed found only 200 metres to the south.

A vigorous local community
A little over 50 years ago, Sisimiut Municipality comprised eight settlements, including Itilleq, which is one of the two original villages which are still inhabited.

Despite the so-called “concentration policy” of the 1960s , whereby the village was designated as one of the settlements not worthy of preservation, the village has survived – and today Itilleq is a small Greenlandic community where you can experience village life at close quarters and meet the residents as they go about their daily business.
 
Village shops and other amenities
In the village you’ll find the former KGH (Kongelig Grønlandsk Handel) shop, which regularly has a fine selection of home-made articles and handicrafts produced by local people.
 
There’s also a little café where you can buy soft drinks, coffee, sweets and the like, and there’s also a larger shop called “Pilersuisoq” selling groceries.
 
Also in Itilleq you’ll find a village admin office, a fish dealer, a kindergarten, a school, as well as an attractive, recently restored church, which was originally relocated from Knud Rasmussen’s Thule in 1962.

We look forward to seeing you in Itilleq!