Hans Egede, Bronze missionary statue at Nuuk Cathedral, Greenland
The Hans Egede statue is a bronze monument in Nuuk showing the missionary holding a pastoral staff and bible. Standing about 7 feet (2 meters) tall on a stone base, it sits on a hillside overlooking the waterfront.
The monument was erected in 1921 to honor the Danish-Norwegian missionary who founded the first European settlement in Nuuk in 1728. His arrival marked a turning point in how Greenland's Inuit communities were documented and reshaped.
The monument sits at the center of conversations about Christianity's arrival and Greenland's colonial past. Local communities hold varied perspectives on what this statue means to them today.
The monument sits on a hill near Nuuk Cathedral in the old district of the city. The location is walkable and information plaques at the site provide background about the figure and his role.
The statue has been painted over multiple times, sparking debate about whether it should stay in its current form. In 2020, residents voted on the monument's future, making public opinion directly shape its story.
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