NAOMI UEMURA MONUMENT

The monument that welcomes the traveller in front of the airport is dedicated to the Japanese polar adventurer Naomi Uemura (1941-1984) who is none other than the first explorer to reach the North Pole by dogteam in April 1978, alone, following in the footsteps of the Peary expedition. Its longitudinal crossing of Greenland from the north (Cape Morris-Jesup) to the south (Narsarssuaq) is one of the major dates in the history of polar exploration. He learned the techniques of dog sledding and hunting during a stay in Thule in 1977.