It used to be that when you visited Greenland you looked up someone by the colour of their house, not by their street address. Back in the 1700s, Greenlanders erected houses from “timber Kits” sent to the island from Scandinavia. These kits were made available in only five colours: red, yellow, black, green and blue. Each signified the function and/or owner of a particular building. Red was the most popular colour, used by the church and those who practiced a trade – priests, store owners, craftspeople, etc. Red identified both their home and place of work. Hospitals were yellow – as were the homes of doctors and nurses. Police stations were black. Anything to do with telecommunications was painted green. Fishing factories and their workers adopted the colour blue.
Over time, the colour-coding practice fell by the wayside. The lack of availability of different paint colours in colonial Greenland contributed to the disappearance of this novel custom. Undoubtedly, the introduction of house numbers also played a role. Today residents are encouraged to continue the country’s rich tradition of vibrant buildings by using whatever colours suit their fancy. As a nod to the past, some churches remain red, while hospitals continue to be yellow. No matter how you look at it, Greenland has some of the world’s most memorable cityscapes.