A visit to the ‘Red House’

It takes the Dagmar Aaen just under three days to make the crossing from Iceland to Greenland – for us, this time it meant three days on the North Atlantic with moderate weather, favourable winds and plenty of whale sightings. As we reach the East Greenland Current, the water temperature drops to around two degrees and the first icebergs appear. Gigantic white colossi on their way south. As fascinating as these floating giants are, a collision would be fatal. That means we must always be on our guard and take evasive action in good time.

We finally drop anchor off the settlement of Tasiilaq. Greenland welcomes us with blue skies, plenty of sunshine and a mild 6 degrees. An Arctic summer!

A journey through the white desert

Here in Tasiilaq, we plan to meet Robert Peroni – the man who, in 1983, together with Pepi Schrott and Wolfgang Thomaseth, was one of the first to cross the Greenland ice sheet at its widest point. The three men were on the move for 88 days, without any further aids or supply depots. 1,400 kilometres through the white desert, constantly on their guard against the treacherous ice and the threat of bears. An immense ordeal. But also a formative experience for Peroni: the extreme sportsman discovered his fascination with the Arctic, the people of Greenland and life in the far north.

He still lives in Tasiilaq today, where he runs the ‘Red House’. A guesthouse for visitors, a meeting place for people from different cultures, and a focal point for many residents of Tasiilaq.

Hunting culture meets globalisation

He deliberately employs only Greenlanders, providing people with work and – even more importantly – prospects for life and the future. For the social problems in Greenland are immense. It was not until 1982 that East Greenland was opened up to the international community – that is to say, the first tourist was allowed to enter without a permit. Only since then has this region slowly begun to open up. Until then, the vast majority of people in Greenland lived in isolation and had hardly any contact with the rest of the world. Yet for many people in Greenland, the influx of globalised modernity into the traditional hunting culture happened far too quickly and was almost impossible to come to terms with.

With his ‘Red House’, Robert Peroni is trying to encourage the Inuit and show them sustainable ways forward that preserve their culture whilst still offering them a future. He now employs up to 70 people from Tasiilaq, whether as guides, boat skippers or hostel staff. There are now around 60 accommodation options for tourists who want to explore East Greenland and get to know the people here.

Robert is now over 80 years old and is working hard to ensure that the “Red House” can continue to operate even without him. Unfortunately, this is rather complicated due to Greenlandic tax law. At least, since 2023, there has been “The Red House Greenland Foundation”, which is intended to ensure its continued existence. We’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed for this project!

Uli Weih