In the year 1000 A.D., the legendary Greenlander Leif Eriksson, son of Eric the Red, set his course westward from his parental home at Brattahlid in Southgreenland and discovered Vinland – today better known as Newfoundland, North America.
In the year 1000 A.D., the norse Greenland and Iceland became christianized. In this year the very first christian church on the north-american continent was founded – Thjódhildur’s Church in Brattahlid, Southgreenland.
The Home Rule Government of Greenland wished to highlight these major historic events through celebrations in year 2000. Part of the preparations took place in close cooperation with the Icelandic Government and the Celebrational Commitees of Canada and USA.
The purpose of the project was to place Greenland on the world map, strengthen the greenlandic consciousness of identity and history and to tighten the connections between Greenland and our neighbors to the East and the West.
The Premier of Greenland Home Rule Government mr. Jonathan Motzfeldt was protector of the project, and a special projectmanager mrs. Benedikte Thorsteinsson was attached to Greenland Tourism, the national turist board. All involved municipalities in South- and West Greenland were also closely engaged in the project.
This web site was created as part of the project. It has later been restructured to focus on the norse history in Greenland while pages about the festival events July 2000 now are available in the Festival Archive.