Explore Grytviken a tiny settlement on South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was formerly a large whaling station (now abandoned). The settlement was established in 1904 by Norwegian Antarctic explorer Carl Anton Larsen on the longused site of former whaling settlements. Grytviken is built on sheltered, flat land and has a good supply of fresh water. The whaling station closed in December 1966 when dwindling whale stocks made it uneconomical to stay open. A simple lesson in economics: Kill most of the whales. Fewer whales. Little whale processing. No profit. The settlement has become a popular attraction for Antarctic cruise lines, with many tourists visiting the resting places of polar explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild in Grytviken's graveyard as well as the museum, the historical gallery, the old whaling machinery, the church, the shipwrecks and the animals. The whalers used every part of the whales – the blubber, meat, bones and guts were rendered to extract the oil and the bones and meat were turned into fertilizer. Approximately 300 men worked at the station during its prime years, operating during the southern summer from October to March. A few men remained over the winter to maintain the boats and factory. Every one to three months, a transport ship would bring in key supplies and take away the oil.
Grytviken is currently a popular stop for cruise ships visiting Antarctica
If you visit, do not miss: the top 10 things to see on Grytviken.