Ivittuut

A once thriving mining community in Greenland, Ivittuut was abandoned in 2000 after the cryolite supply depleted and the mines closed in 1992. Nearby, Ikka i...

Although the mine had operated since 1856, this small mining community was mostly abandoned when the cryolite supply ran out in 1987. In 2000, the final two families departed Ivittuut. The cryolite mine captured the attention of Americans during WWII as Cryolite is a mineral used to produce aluminum. Flådestation Grønnedal/Kangillinnguit, the former Danish Navy Command Centre in Greenland, was adjacent to the now-abandoned mining but relocated to Nuuk in 2012. To prevent people from plunging far deep into the very deep hole of the mine, water was let into this massive hole in the ground. The Ivittuut region is home to a variety of unusual minerals, and just nearby, you can find Ikka, known for its distinctive underwater stalagmites. Today, you can see the old buildings of Ivittuut as they are claimed back by nature.