The House of Knud Rasmussen

The House of Knud Rasmussen

The house was built in 1917. Rather than being a traditional summer residence for the family, the house came to be a place for Knud to immerse himself in his work away from the bustle and social commitments of the capitol.

The House

In 1939 Knud’s widow, Dagmar Rasmussen, handed over the grounds and the house with all its contents to Torup Parish. Shortly thereafter it was opened to the public and has been so ever since.

Helge Bojsen-Møller was the architect, and in drawing up the blueprints for the house he was inspired by the English “cottage style” of the day. Apart from being a renowned architect In Denmark, he had also been at the head of a number of building projects in Greenland. He was an obvious choice for the task.

Some years following the building of the main house an annex was added. This became Knud’s private study and was later connected to the main house via a long corridor.

The Memorial Cairn

In 1936, to honor the life and achievements of Knud Rasmussen a cairn was raised on a hill overlooking the house. The stones that make up the cairn were gathered in many different locations around Greenland.