Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Akureyri Domino’s Pizza
Site of the Original Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop
Neuhaus Chocolate Shop
Caesar Salad being prepared table side
Caesar’s Restaurant Bar
Local favorites include chicken tacos, guacamole, and the strawberry limeade.
El Weirdo
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Welcome to The Obscura Society
Taking advantage of Florida’s never-ending summer, Sajoma has a spacious outdoor eating area.
Pedro Rodriguez Is on a Quest for Freshness
Edison’s laboratory
Inside Thomas Edison’s Botanical Laboratory
A building and road in Fordlândia
Why Did Henry Ford Build a Midwestern Town in the Amazon Rainforest?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Greenland Qaqortoq Mindebrønden

Mindebrønden

No longer the only, but definitely the oldest, fountain in Greenland.

Qaqortoq, Greenland

Added By
Anam
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Mindenbrønden   Sunshinfam / Atlas Obscura User
The oldest fountain in Greenland   lnkey on Wikimedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

You can probably imagine that, considering the climate, demand for fountains isn't too high in Greenland. In fact, when it was completed in 1932, Mindebrønden (Memorial Fountain) was the only fountain on the entire island. 

Construction on the Qaqortoq fountain, forged out of distinctive Igaliku sandstone, began in 1927. The subject matter is also endemic to Greenland. Several whales squirting water out of their blowholes are mounted at the top of the lantern-like base - a nod to the island's whaling tradition (you'll likely see some living ones in the fjords surrounding the city). Several smaller spouts arranged around the circular stone basin shoot delicate arcs of water towards the fountain's center. 

Mindebrønden is hard to miss, as it's right in the middle of the very tiny square that makes up Qaqortoq's very tiny city center. Locals and tourists alike often gather here for lunch on the surrounding picnic tables. The fountain also shares the space with the Qaqortoq Museum, formerly a blacksmiths' shop, which now showcases both modern art and Greenlandic handicrafts. 

The only other fountain in Greenland can be found further to the north, in Sisimiut.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Fountains Whales Animals

Know Before You Go

The center of town in a town so small, you can't miss it.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sunshinfam

Edited By

hana, Molly McBride Jacobson

  • hana
  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

September 24, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.greenland.com/en/destinations/south-greenland/qaqortoq/
  • http://www.silversea.com/find-port/q/qaqortoq-julianehab/
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=CP0xZFM7ftoC&pg
Mindebrønden
Qaqortoq
Greenland
60.71821, -46.038528
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Stone & Man

Qaqortoq, Greenland

miles away

Qaqortoq Road

Qaqortoq, Greenland

miles away

Garðar Cathedral Ruins

Igaliku, Greenland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq

Greenland

Places 3

Nearby Places

Stone & Man

Qaqortoq, Greenland

miles away

Qaqortoq Road

Qaqortoq, Greenland

miles away

Garðar Cathedral Ruins

Igaliku, Greenland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq

Greenland

Places 3

Related Places

  • Vertebración y Desvertebración

    El Médano, Spain

    'Vertebración y Desvertebración'

    These sandstone replicas of a whale spine represent the history and culture of the Canary Islands.

  • Šibenik, Croatia

    Fontana s Kornjačama (Fountain with Turtles)

    This fountain has a growing (animal) population, and might also be growing in size.

  • West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

    The Blue Whale of Noah's Ark

    The last funhouse of its kind, where guests enter through the mouth of an 80-year-old blue whale.

  • Pianoro, Italy

    La Balena della Val di Zena

    A great white whale sculpture now sits in the location where the remains of a prehistoric cetacean were found.

  • The whale on the sign forms a heart with its spout

    Florence, Oregon

    Exploding Whale Memorial Park

    Fifty years after a “blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds,” this idyllic natural area commemorates the carnage.

  • ‘Saved by a Whale’s Tail’

    Spijkenisse, Netherlands

    'Saved by a Whale’s Tail'

    This unique sculpture proved invaluable when it saved a train from careening off the tracks.

  • Captain George Pollard House

    Nantucket, Massachusetts

    Captain George Pollard House

    The island home of an unlucky whaling captain whose story inspired a great American novel.

  • Whalers Cabin in Point Lobos State Reserve.

    Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

    Whalers Cabin Museum

    This cabin from the 1850s is one of the first structures built by Chinese immigrants in California.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.