for a glacier walk, a boat trip or a mine visit and see if you can still make endsmeet. for aglacierwalk,boattripor mine visitandseeifyoucanstillmake lot ifyoudon’tsignupforoneortwo. So,whenyou’re sums,budget doingyourpre-holiday outside Longyearbyenisdifficultat bestandcanbedownrightdangerous,youmissoutona d’être andyou’llgetmorecheeked ofafeel forLongyearbyenasalivingcommunitywith , theusualpointofindependententry. arrive onanorganised tour. Werecommend signingupforgroupvisitsoncearrivingin premium. The independenttraveller isarare sightonislands;thevastmajorityofvisitors on themainlandandbudgetaccommodationisverythe nearest muchata majorairport Svalbard reindeer –andpolarbears aplenty,outnumberingushumansforthemoment. largerThe creatures environment supports foxes, too: whales,seals,walruses,Arctic squat managestosustainlichens, miniaturebarren-looking, grassesanddelicate littleflowers. under closescrutiny,theharshconditionsreveal soil,however desert tinygemsastheArctic icebergs theseas,andicefieldsglaciersfrostlonelyheights. andfloeschoke But placesimaginable. andoneof themostspectacular accessible bitofthepolarnorth Vast Svalbard isanassaultonthesenses. This wondrousarchipelagoistheworld’smostreadily Svalbard 370 © LonelyPlanetPublications „ What really bumpsthecostupis priceoforganised toursandactivities. Sincetravel Don’t discountawinter visit.There are yourosy- tokeep plentyofoutdooractivities It’snearlya1000kmflightfrom Svalbard doesn’tcomeeasy–especiallyonthepocket.

„ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS „ „

POPULATION: 2800 Spend asunnymorningsurroundedbythe Visit theformerRussianminingvillageof Penetrate deep intodisused nature ExperiencepristineArctic onan Crunchyourcramponson accessible Magdalenefjord brilliant glaciersand turquoisewaters of you’re notacollier ( p376 ) outsideLongyearbyen andbeglad organised expedition hiking for fossils Longyearbreen glacier ofitsown. (p380) (p384 ) ( p379 ), thenfossick Mine No3 (p373)

„ HIGHEST ELEVATION : (1713M) Barentsburg Magdalenefjord Longyearbreen Longyearbyen raison POLAR EXPLORATION themselves. Norwegians andobligations ontheislandsas rights same over 40adherents, citizensenjoythe whose Initially signedbyninenations,itnowhas islands andrestricted activities. military Treaty granted Norwaysovereignty over the Svalbard’s largest island.In1920theSvalbard ocean’. Today, isthenameof to ‘alandinthefarnorthatendof the referred sagas ‘cold coast’;ancientNorse Svalbard, for comesfromtheOldNorse TheNorwegianname, or ‘sharpmountains’. (1596). He namedtheislandsSpitsbergen, the first visitorfromtheEuropeanmainland of anortheastpassage toChina,isregarded as the Dutch voyager WillemBarents, insearch however, from1194.Officially, Icelandic saga The first mentionof Svalbard occurs inan lonelyplanet.com was abandoned forwinter, leaving behind a took itstollandthe settlement scurvy ever, three years later; thefollowingwinter, how- followed byaDutch groupatSmeerenburg known overwintering in 1630, atBellsund whales. 60,000 it’s estimated thattheDutch aloneslaughtered ing offthewestern coast of Spitsbergen island; Norwegian andDanish ships engaged in whal- From 1612to1720 English, Dutch, French, in Svalbard didn’t beginuntiladecadelater. first confirmed western Europeanactivities the beginningof the17thcenturybut ofevidence Russianoverwintering around halted inGreenland. There’s archaeological migrations eastward fromSiberiaandAlaska pelago wasuninhabited, astheearlyInuit At thetimeof Barents’ discovery, thearchi- was later rescued. had disappeared onasimilarexpeditionand while onarescue mission tofindNobile, who two years andhiscrew later Amundsen died Umberto Nobile were successfulin1926,but most metwithfailure. and Roald Amundsen North Poleusingairships andballoons, ofa series explorers attempted toreach the year). Inthelate 19thandearly20thcenturies, as Svalbard inches northwardsby2mmper you read this,itwillbefractionallynearer North Pole(ornotquite precisely; bythetime Longyearbyen isprecisely 1338kmfromthe WHALING &HUNTING History An English groupundertook thefirst SVALBARD ••History nearly 40years andnowadaysistheonly The scaleof themind.It operationboggles coalfield, 44kmsoutheast of Longyearbyen. . to orforexport firing thetown’spowerstation it yieldsaround70,000tonnesper yearfor one aroundLongyearbyenstillproducing; converted intoascientific post. down after amineexplosionin1962and in and Barentsburg. and theRussiansresettled andagainmined civilians returned, Longyearbyenwasrebuilt the Nazissurrendered in1945, Norwegian and continuedtoburnfor14years). When of alight Longyearbyen,wasshelledandset (MineNo2,onthehillsidejusteast ofand thesettlements Barentsburg and Even so,theNazisbombedLongyearbyen 1941theislandswereSeptember evacuated. at Ny Ålesund. KullCompaniopenedamine the KingsBay pelago’s southernmostisland,Bjørnøya, and upoperationsonthearchi- companies set thenextfew years,Over twootherNorwegian Norske Spitsbergen KullCompani(SNSK). Longyear. In1916ACC soldouttotheStore named fortheACC’s USowner,John Munroe tlement thatgrew uparoundthisminewas Theset- extracting coalfromarich seam. when theArcticCoalCompany(ACC) began first modernminewasn’topeneduntil1906, covered coal atNyÅlesund( p382 ), butthe Perhaps asearly1612whalers haddis- COAL MINING and Arctic foxes. sources andbeganhuntingbothpolarbears Norwegians exploited theislands’wildlife re- andbelugas.From around1795 seals moose, attentions onSvalbard, huntingwalruses, dwelling) hunters andtraders their focused the early18thcentury,RussianPomor(coast- three-week shifts, is small, operating colossal, three-week shifts, issmall, operating colossal, Longyearbyen andflown into Sveagruva for other end of in the scale,theworkforce, based project willextend untilat least2013.Atthe of overreserves 30million tonnesand the inayear.Mine No7does There are estimated nually –extracting more intwodaysthan produces around three milliontonnesan- small caretaker team, whoallperished. From Ny Ålesundalsore-opened, butwasclosed The big one these daysistheSveaThe bigonethese Nord inoperationforMine No7hasbeen Mining washalted duringWWIIandon3

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Erik Eriksenstretet Svenskłya Storłya B ARENTS Bjłrnłya lonelyplanet.com Kongsłya Kong Karls S EA Land Abelłya Kvitłya 19 April to 23 August, while it never even even 19 Aprilto23August,whileitnever sunlastsfrom Longyearbyen themidnight ern Spitsbergen andNordaustlandet.In Bjørnøya inthesouthtoover 80°Nonnorth- (1712m). Perriertoppen est pointsare Newtontoppen(1713m)and lonelyplanet.com you’re camping, are tripwires withflares and equipment too,especially if it.Standard use Walk leaders carryagun andknowhow to if you’re trekking, gowith an organised tour. environs of Longyearbyen, thebest adviceis, Encounter ofa Close theFurred Kindinthe many. Whileit’smost unlikely thatyou’llhave Even quarters onebearatclose isonetoo inthe zoo.is notthecute fuzzythingyou see In real life Svalbard’s symbol,thepolarbear, Dangers &Annoyances 3000 estimated between and 3500. by thenumberof2800 isstillexceeded bears, rent humanpopulationof Svalbard of around bears, that,atleastforthemoment,cur- especiallyforit’s anencouragingthought, fate of polarbears as theArcticicecapmelts, temperatures of –30°C aren’t uncommon. January themeantemperature is–16°C,but experience temperatures of upto20°C.In youmayonly 6°C.Onoccasion,however, annual temperature is–4°C,andinJuly,it’s frost are possibleatanytimeof year;themean proximately 60%of thelandarea. Snowand andriversround, andsheets of icecover ap- ice hovers justnorthof themainislandyear- remains ice-free formostof thesummer,pack thewestcoast annually.Although cipitation climate, withonly200mmto300mmof pre- and 14 February. abovepeeks 28October thehorizonbetween Svalbard’s latituderanges from74°Nat Given current global concern aboutthe The archipelago enjoysabriskpolar-desert that authoritieselsewhere wouldbecompellingcompaniestohave removed. scruffy pylonsandtumblingwoodenpilesgantriesaroundLongyearbyen –industrialdetritus and hunters oroldgraves. Butit’savery grandioseterm whenappliedtotherustingmachinery, wherebe touched.This itrelates isunderstandable,particularly toevidenceofdistantwhalers measures acrossthearchipelago. The ticket. environmental incomethisraisesisring-fenced of yourplaneorcruise-ship tosupport ofSvalbardinanotherway.AlevyNkr150pervisitorisaddedtothepriceto thepreservation tourist literature. yourmodestcontribution Inadditiontotreading lightly,youwillalsobemaking ‘We realise it’snotpossibletobeaninvisibletourist,butweappreciate yourtrying’,saysthe DON’T DISTURBSVALBARD! Any pre-1946 remainsAny pre-1946 are ofhumanactivity classified as‘culturalmonuments’andaren’t to SVALBARD ••Dangers & Annoyances including airfare, atNkr7930/12,875 start Barentsburg andNyÅlesund.Prices,not Nordstjernena, the formerHurtigruten steamer coastal aboard mid-Juneandmid-September tween travel.no) Travel Spitsbergen One of thegiantsof theSvalbard travel scene, SPITSBERGEN TRAVEL below. Formore day-tripideas, see p377 . of butasample themost popular ones detail (www.svalbard.net) Pole. Theofficial excursionsday tripstotwo-week totheNorth from winter dog-sledding or snowmobiling Fortunately, there’s ahuge range of options tours recognisedganised through operators. governor’s advice thatyoushould bookor- ent tripsonSvalbard andweendorse the it’s almostimpossibletoarrange independ- For reasons of andsheer logistics, security Longyearbyen… in 1995–butithappenedonly2kmfrom asanother same to you. you travel ifoneendof agunismuch the sure youget insomepracticeshootingbefore placesintownrentseveral outkits–andmake equipment; without aguide,carrythesame could be hours away. front of thebear,nottosummonhelp,which distress flares too–tofire atthegroundin begin atNkr32,600 per double cabin. Svalbard’s travelled solightly areas. Prices Polar Star also offers withthesmaller cruises seven-day per person without/with private shower. It Tours Don’t get was alarmed;thelastbearfatality If, despite this,you’re out determined toset runsthree-day be- guidedcruises , which penetrates more into deeply listsdozens of tours and we puttingashore atboth

( % tourist informationwebsite tourist 79 026100;www.spitsbergen 373

SVALBARD SVALBARD SVALBARD SPITSBERGEN TOURS Prins Karls Forlandet island (Nkr13,500). of andwalruses days amongtheglaciers, seals around theEsmarkglacier(Nkr6400), orseven three daysof camping, hiking and kayaking www.wildlife.no; sual trips, manyof unu- Offering theusual andseveral SVALBARD WILDLIFESERVICE 374 commodation. Theprice includes day ex- you camp toNkr19,000in singleroomac- whenprices range from Nkr7650if season, time (Nkr13,800), orduring thesummerhigh (Nkr10,200), inApril’swintry spring- night Longyearbyen: during thelong,darkpolar in threean Arcticweek versions, in based .terrapolaris.com) The ownerof the boxed text, p378 ). guideinEnglish aboutstandard Svalbard (see experience onthe archipelago, haswritten the The range of adventurous options includes more abouthowthesemagnificent, resilient creatures insuchtoughconditions. survive that scientistshave equippedwithacollarandsatellite transmitter. You’llalsolearnawholelot bears, managedbytheWorldWildlife Fund. Here, you cantrackthemovements offourbears proaching it.Analtogethersafer waytotrackpolarbearsislogontowww.panda.org/polar may even dieofheatexhaustionifpursued. under pressure, frombeingstressed out,quicklyoverheat apart undertheirshaggycoatsand snowmobiler irresponsibly gives chase,forexample,heorshewillbeinastifffine).Bears isactively (ifaare contact discouraged,bothforyourand thebear’ssake minimal.Otherwise, with humans,where thebearstandslittlechanceofcomingoffbest. And hungrybears,ontheprowlanddesperate forfood,couldleadtoincreasing confrontations rate mayfallsincefemales needplenty ofdeepsnowtodigthedensinwhichtheywillwhelp. that somepopulationswillbecomeisolated andinbred, The theirgeneticstockweakened. birth mammals), manyriskdrowningastheyattempt toreach fresh icefloes. Less seaicealsomeans they’re swimmers(infact, classifiedasmarine Althoughpolarbearsarein summertime. powerful ing. Somecomputer models suggestthatitmighteven Pole disappearentirely fromtheNorth mainstay oftheirdiet(anadultbearneedstoeatbetween50and75sealsevery year),isshrink- glaciers are retreating. The ice sheet,theirnaturalhabitatandprimehuntinggroundforseals, Svalbard’sthis centuryiftheworldcontinuestoheatup.As insomuchoftheglobe’s coldparts, bytheendofBut forallthebears’rawpower,somescientistspredict thattheycouldbeextinct inoneoftheworld’smostextreme environments.ness –loners,immenselystrongandsurvivors that can’tbecontrolledbylegislation. gradually increasing again.Butnowadaysthere’s anew,lessdirect andmore threat pervasive polarbearnumbershavesigned byallthecountrieswhoselandsimpingeuponArctic, been began. Butever ofPolarBears andtheirHabitat, sincethe1973treaty fortheConservation Polar bearnumbershadbeenindeclinesincethelate 19thcentury,whenintensive hunting POLAR BEARSUNDERTHREAT VLAD • or SVALBARD ••Tours Should youbeunluckyenoughtocomewithinsightofoneonland,don’t even think ofap- fromthesafetyYour chancesofseeingone,unlessyou’re ofaship, onacruiseandobserving Polar bears,fortown-andtemperate-climate dwellers,are wilder- almostasymboloftheArctic Svalbard WildlifeService , Andreas Umbreit, with20years h Spitsbergen Tours Spitsbergen 9am-4pm Mon-Fri)

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( 79 021068;www % 79 025660; Surrey SM72AR) House, 8BoltersLane,Banstead, Arctic .discovertheworld.co.uk; the UK, aroundthearchipelago are,guided cruises in Among travel operators whocanarrange GUIDED CRUISES areweeks Nkr7900/13,200/22,000. linear treks. All-inpricesforone/two/three who’s reasonably fit,thatmixday walkswith hiking tours, withinthecapacity of anyone – in, ifyouchoose an igloo. bag) andtheopportunitytobuild– andsleep (make sure you bringafour-season sleeping (Nkr12,800) withaccommodation intents are andhikingweeks alsowinter snowshoe to bookwellinadvance. Forthehardy,there around Nkr2000perdayandit’s advisable Winter dog-sledding toursseason). cost andwalks,accordingto tour, boatcruises two daysof dog-sledding, asnow-machine (for example, cursions fromthesettlements Spitsbergen Tours alsoorganises modular Discover theWorld Discover and the Canadian-based company and the Canadian-based

( % 01737-218 800; www lonelyplanet.com trading nameof Stefano Poli,originallyfrom upgraded, one-time radio station at the north- upgraded, one-timeradiostation theultimate remoteRadio, getaway onan also offers winteratIsfjord andsummerstays ice asthelongfreeze beginseach autumn.It intothefjord vesselDutch that’sset sailing aboardthe including astay campexplorer.com) Basecamp Spitsbergen BASECAMP SPITSBERGEN and, inwinter, snowmobile sorties. multiday treks, healsooffers guidedday hikes derness guideunderhisbelt.Specialisingin Milan andwith13years as a Svalbard wil- Poli Arctici POLI ARCTICI 708-7761; M5V2H5; Charlotte St,Toronto,Ontario GAP Adventures lonelyplanet.com heated buildings frommelting the permafrost most structures are built on pilingstoprevent takes intoaccountthe harsh Arcticclimate; Hjertabreen.and Lars Construction here including twoglaciertongues, Longyearbreen mining detritus, enjoys asuperbbackdrop free contracts. that live here year-round enjoyone-year tax- bankruptcy. Today, mostof the few people stepped intobalethecompany outfrom ers’ souls.Thenin1976theNorwegian state transport inandout,almost themin- thecommunalmess,companyshop, sessed decades, Store Norsk, ownerof thepits,pos- and hispickneartheLompensenteret. For ofmemorated inthestatue agrizzledminer com- coal-mining rootsstillshow through, for daysabase is these tourism. Butitsgritty Longyearbyen (literally the‘LongYear Town’) with more thanahandfulof – inhabitants Svalbard’s onlycentre onlytown–indeed, pop 1500 LONGYEARBYEN must belike –onwheels during summer. feel of whatawintertime dog-sled experience thingbutitgivesOK, it’snotthesame youa senter.no) Villmarkssenter The expertsindogmushingare SVALBARD VILLMARKSSENTER western tipof Spitsbergen island. The moderntown, fringed byabandoned , whetherbysledge over thesnowor– UK

% ( % 0870 9990144;

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( % Australia 79 024600;www.base North America Noorderlicht,

% 1300 796618). Svalbard % Canada is the 1-800- 19 a 4 00) 42 internet. building. that peopletake uponen- offtheirshoes the threshold, localdecorumstilldictates remove theircoal-dust-encrusted bootsat hensive toSvalbardcomplex.Produces thecompre- the Gateway h lounge on sealskin cushions lounge onsealskin and rugs. cosy book-browsing area toowhere youcan There’s andstaring. and mammals,stuffed a an attractive mixof text, artefacts andbirds rus hunters and,more recently, miners. It’s merly ledbywhalers, andwal- trappers, seal Themes include thelife ontheedge for- sive, recently inaugurated exhibitionspace. isthewrongwordforthisimpres-Museum SVALBARD MUSEUM office Tourist 1Norge Sparebanke Longyearbyen Hospitalcasualtyclinic Library Basecamp Spitsbergen eat. to include the majority of shopsandplaces tering mostbuildingsintown.Exceptions plumbing pipesalsorun above ground. simply sinkingintoit.Theheavily insulated morethat’s never thanametre then deep, terminal. the infiniterangeof outdoor pursuits. Sights &Activities Information Reflecting thedayswhenminers would tradition continues. hasbeenpreserved andthetimekeeping demolished butthislittlepiece ofsolar touched the topstep. The hospitalislong begin oncethefirstofspringsun’srays dispel theweeksof winter darknesswould residents. have aspecialsignificanceforthetown’s of Longyearbyen’s first hospitalandthey (Hospital Stairs).They’re allthatremain and abarely legible sign,‘Sykhustrappa’ five weathered woodensteps, allalone, Some 50msouthofSvalbard’schurchstand HELLO SUNSHINE 10am-5pm May-Sep, noon-5pm rest-of-year) Within 10am-5pm May-Sep, Traditionally, aweek ofcelebrationsto Guide Longyearbyen (Lompensenteret; ( % 79 025550;www.svalbard.net; Bank&ATM inthepostoffice (per10minNkr20)Oneinternet h and a weekly activities listof andaweeklyactivities 11am-6pm Mon-Thu) Free ( % 79 02

375 SVALBARD SVALBARD SVALBARD Nkr590, minimumage14) Mine No3 Mine Sign onforathree-hour into journeydeep MINE NO3 376 town. producing coalmine,15km eastof the once or twice dailytoLongyearbyen’s last .svalbardexplorer.no in Norwegian) In summer what life atthecoalfacewas really like. You cancrawlintoonetosense 80cm high. veinswhose thecoal was hacked, were only heart of Thesidespurs, themountain. from intothe 5.5kmdeep manually, thrusting itself to 1996,thiswasthelastshaftbe worked MINE NO7 4 1 3 2 LONGYEARBYEN VLAD • ogeryn SVALBARD ••Longyearbyen prsHl wmigPo. B3 Sports Hall&SwimmingPool.. Longyearbyen HospitalCasualty Spitsbergen Hotel...... Spitsbergen Guesthouse...... Radisson SASPolarHotel...... Mary-Ann's Polarrigg...... Gjesthuset 102...... Basecamp Spitsbergen...... Svalbard WildlifeService...... Svalbard Museum...... (see1) Statue ofMiner...... Spitsbergen Travel...... Poli Arctici...... Historic Graveyard...... Galleri Svalbard...... Church...... Atelier Aino...... Tourist Office...... (see1) Sparebanke 1Norge...... (see3) Post Office...... Norwegian PolarInstitute...... (see1) Clinic...... Library...... (see 21) Gateway toSvalbard...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION SLEEPING

(admission incl transport fromyourlodging (admission incltransport AC Svalbard Explorer . Productive from1971 runstrips (Nkr590) 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

17 C3 B4 D1 C1 B4 C2 C2 C2 D1 D1 B3 B4 C2 C2 C2 C2 D1 ( % 19 14 6 Longyearbyen 90 762933; www To Airport& Burma Road Camping To Longyearbreen & fossils(500m) ὆὆ ὆὆ B 7 Camping (4.5km); Mine No3(4km); Airport (4.5km); Wharf (200m); To CruiseShip Longyearbyen 10 Sysselmann’s (Governor’s) 5 Svalbard; anda 10-minute film, you shiver; reproductions of early mapsof ist Kåre Tveter, sopure and coldtheymake Svalbard-themed works of Norwegianart- Svalbard Galleri GALLERI SVALBARD America. North killed 40million people inEurope,Asia and struck downbythe Spanishflu,avirusthat youngmen in Longyearbyenwereseven 20th century.Inafew daysinOctober 1918, dateswhite, fromtheearly woodencrosses This hauntinglittlegraveyard withitssimple HISTORIC GRAVEYARD cession Nkr50/20/40; Office 18 Skjæringa 15 Haugen 4 13 21

0.4miles 600m 0 0 11 ( % h 2 20 12 3 Svalbard Snøscooterutleie...... Nordpolet...... (see 20) Lompensenteret...... Coop Supermarket...... Kroa Pub&Restaurant...... (see13) Karls-Berger Pub...... (see21) Huset...... (see 19) Funken Bar...... (see18) Barents Pub...... (see16) Kroa Pub&Restaurant...... (see13) Huset...... Restaurant...... (see17) Funktionærmessen Fruene KaffeogVinbar...... (see21) Brasseri Nansen...... (see16) TRANSPORT SHOPPING DRINKING EATING 79 022340;adult/child/con- 11am-5pm) 16 Sentrum 9 1 8 lonelyplanet.com features the D The Arctic To ; Mine 7(15km) 22 22 21 20 19 D1 C2 C2 B3 ad Brent. and species,includingbarnacle,pink-footedgeese divers, variousgullsandskuas,many pipers, Brünnich’s guillemots,red-throated on showare littleauks,purplesand- puffins, migration as well. Amongthemanyspecies and large numbers callbyduringtheirannual Flocks of birdsnestonSvalbard each summer BIRD-WATCHING seasons. thehuesandtonesofcanvases theArctic A resident of Svalbard, she captures inher and workshopof Danish artistAinoGrib. themainpedestrianstreetoff tothegallery 11am-3pm Sat) Aino Atelier Svalbard’s other, winter persona. Nature of Svalbard, Book yourstayatlonelyplanet.com/hotels walk fromtown oryou canrent a bicycle (per a kitchen andshowers. It’s about an hour’s and theglaciers beyond and hasIsfjorden Sep) yearbyen-camping.com; perpersonNkr90; Longyearbyen Camping Sleeping p373. see online atthe tourist office. operators (directly orviatheirwebsites) or All outingscanbebooked individual through activitieslist fice’s weekly manymore.details biling (Nkr1000toNkr1400).The tourist of- Nkr550), horse riding(Nkr550)and snowmo- ice-caving (fromNkr520), kayaking (from (Nkr800), glacierwalking(from Nkr490), to Barentsburg (Nkr990), dog-sledding (Nkr300), minetours (Nkr590),boattrips includingfossilhunting with theseason, array of short tripsanddaytours thatvary wilderness. Fortunately, there’s adizzying of majesty thesheer little sense of Svalbard’s Longyearbyenandyou’llleaveto scruffy with You’ll bedisappointed ifyourestrict yourself Tours the Sports Hall. plunge into Longyearbyen’sheated poolat If you’ve energy leftattheendof theday, SWIMMING this particularly friendlycamp site overlooks AEIR AINO ATELIER For furtherinformation onlonger tours, Nearthe airportonaflat stretch of turf,

(admission free; Follow thesigndirecting you which gives of aglimpse

( % h 79 021068;www.long SVALBARD ••Longyearbyen 11am-5pm Mon-Fri, h mid-Jun–mid- up to 136. the miners’ messhall),and canaccommodate the largewhich houses breakfast room (once Travel spread over four buildings,oneof isasubsidiary ofThis guesthouse Spitsbergen bergentravel.no; dm/s/dNkr295/500/850; Residence’. ‘Millionaire’s nicknamedand wasoncesardonically ing 7)belongstoSvalbard Wildlife Service things, occupies build- (which, toconfuse s/d Nkr300/495/850; small lounge. Prices include breakfast. andbathrooms, akitchen forself-caterers miners’ accommodation,theyhave corridor 20-minute walkfromthecentre. Formerly at thesouthernextremity of town,about a priced –fortheislandoptionsinNybyen, in thecentre of Longyearbyen. facilities, each withbathroomandself-catering Stefano Polihasfourgood-value apartments, s/dNkr700/800) arctici.com; Nkr50/30). There are no cabins. bag(first/subsequent nights and sleeping Nkr100),mattressa tent (pernight (Nkr20) day forcampers Nkr100).Youcanalsohire main wing,rooms have corridor bathrooms within.Inthe from without, it’scosiness itself acter. its originsasaworkers’ billet Betraying brimswithchar-memorabilia, thePolarrigg Ann and adornedwithmining andhunting Nkr595/875, dNkr2000) s/dwith shared bathroom Skjæringa; www.polarriggen.com; Poli Arctici o Spitsbergen Guesthouse Spitsbergen Gjesthuset 102 Longyearbyen hasacoupleof reasonably be lostforeternity. native habitat,itcanberevived andwon’t initsthat, shouldaspeciesbecomeextinct here ataconstanttemperature of–18°Cso all overlections theworldare tobekept planet. Samplesfromseedbanksandcol- representing thebotanicaldiversity ofthe ity foruptofourmilliondifferent seeds, early 2008.It’sarepository withacapac- Ark,wascompletedvegetarian in Noah’s already dubbedtheDoomsdayVault ora the permafrost,avastman-madecavern, Deep insidethemountain,downbeneath SVALBARD GLOBALSEEDVAULT BRINGING THEARKTOARCTIC: Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg Mary-Ann’s

( % ( % h 79 021705,91383467;www.poli Runbytheebullient Mary- 79 025716;[email protected]; dm/ Mar-Nov) Mar-Nov) Seasoned Arcticguide Seasoned ( % Guesthouse 102Guesthouse 79 026300;www.spits

( h % mid-Mar–Sep) mid-Mar–Sep) 79 023702;

377 SVALBARD SVALBARD SVALBARD Games, then transported here. tion fortheLillehammerWinter Olympic yond. Itsannexe wasoriginallyaccommoda- be- mountain of andHiorthfjellet thefjord worth payingNkr200extraforone withviews Rooms are stylishlyfurnished andit’swell hotel’) isthetown’smostluxurious. service chain hotel (‘theworld’snorthernmostfull- .radissonsas.com; s/dNkr1290/1510; the miners’ more quarters.spartan previously with thetwoNybyenguesthouses, oncelived,mine bosses contraststothisday the leatherarmchairs of where itssalon), the lowinto place(sinkyourself This comfortable gentravel.no; s/dNkr1200/1390; smart annexe, roomshave comfort. every tostrumon.Inthe liards, dartsandaguitar sink-into armchairs andanother withbil- a large, furnishedlounge comfortably with and doublescomewithbunkbeds.There’s 378 h ogVinbar Fruene Kaffe Eating fort defined andthebreakfasts are splendid. Its 16cabin-like roomsare cosiness andcom- got thisplace,also knownasTrapper’sLodge. century plumbing anddesignflairyou’ve dump andmining castoffs. Graft on21st- and decorations, culled fromthelocalrefuse Addartefactscled beams,planks andflotsam. re-created hut,built inpartfromrecy- sealing .basecampexplorer.com; s o SASPolarHotel Radisson Hotel Spitsbergen Pole expeditions. by OlafRønning,aloneismore complete but less comprehensively illustrated. Olav Gjœrevoll andOlafRønningisalsowellillustrated withcolourphotos. Svalbard, is asplendidguidetothewholearchipelago. Spitsbergen: Svalbard, Franz JosefLand, JanMayen SVALBARD BOOKS and hasstacksofstunningphotos. the marinelife andecologyoftheregion, butit’salsoofinterest tothemore generalreader munity; and More generaltitlesinclude fjord thatrunsbetweenLongyearbyen,Barentsburg Linné. andwesttotheheadlandofKap reading.guiding andforbackground core hrs10am-5pm) VLAD • ogeryn SVALBARD ••Longyearbyen The Norwegian Polar Institute’s Svalbard &theLifeinPolarOceans The Governor ofSvalbard’soffice publishessomeexcellentbookletsinEnglish,bothfor Basecamp Spitsbergen bothfullyillustrated withphotos,are soundandvery readable. , / ‘The Missus’, runbythree d Nkr1750/1960;

( ( % % 79 027640; Lompensenteret; 79 026200;www.spitsber h

( an equally compelling description of this one-time baseforNorth anequallycompellingdescriptionofthisone-time i % mid-Feb–mid-Oct; &Gravneset,

( % ) 79 023450;www This95-room i 79 024600;www ) Imaginea Birds andMammalsofSvalbard by BjornGulliksenandErlingSvensen dealsspecificallywith i )

byKristinPrestvold isanimpressive guidetothe bylong-timeSvalbardresident Andreas Umbreit you thatthetwobestplacestoeat and drink hamburger med alt stew (Nkr155)and its signatureand seal (Nkr165)Nkr100), whaleinpepper sauce uppizzas (Nkr85to ularly. The barserves (Nkr495) reindeer feature andgrouse reg- regardedhighly restaurant, menu onwhose a walktoworkup anappetite for theHuset’s Arctic char (Nkr92). Try, forexample, thecured (Nkr78)or seal gargantuan. Starters are more modest insize. is cheerful andmainsverge on the Service scarf whenwewere lasthere –gives aclue). hind thebar–andsportingaLiverpool FC giant white from be- bustof peeking Lenin infromRussian Barentsburgbrought (the structed fromtheelementsof abuilding Nkr200) pub or house… are Butnotjustanyold thepubandhouse. Spitsbergen Hotel inthe Restaurant and Funktionærmessen summer buffet Nkr295) aurants: climb much more than 2cm high. native Svalbard counterparts, entwineand festooned withlivingplantsthat,unlike their setting, rice dishesinawonderfulglasshouse most northerlyThairestaurant dishesupspicy snacks. and decentcoffee, baguettes, pizza café, serving youngwomen,isawelcomingsprightly Huset o Polarrigg Mary-Ann’s Longyearbyen hastwoexcellenthotel rest- thefascinatinghistoryofawhalingcom- This pubandrestaurant wasrecon- (The House; (The Brasseri Nansen Brasseri Kroa (The Pub; (The Book yourstayatlonelyplanet.com/hotels and its % at the Radisson SASPolar; at theRadisson . These apart,localswill tell These (Nkr96) –ameaty burger 79 022500)

( %

Flowers ofSvalbard % (3-/4-course dinnerNkr350/420, The Flora ofSvalbard Marine Mammalsof 79 023702) 79 021300;mainsaround It’s somethingof

The world’s by

not much to see from not much tosee a vehicle. but there isonly45kmof road and Lompensenteret; week. a which screens feature filmsacoupleof nights thetowncinema,Nkr50). Italsohouses (covera barandweekend nightclub charge Hotel. Spitsbergen Barents PubandFunken atthe Bar Radisson’s choice of younger locals.More formalare the isnormallythe from oldminestanchions, barstoolsfashioned Bustling Kroa,itsmetal Drinking &Entertainment ofcarries agoodselection groceries. bottles. 20,000 the nearest vineyard:itswinecellarhasover dream of it.Acuriosityforaplacesofarfrom told us,thatlonelyscientistsintheirtents with allthetrimmings,sojuicy,aresearcher lonelyplanet.com can rent them from 49 30). Bilutleie extremity of town,calling by hotels. atthesouthern runs uptothetwo guesthouses and airport bus(Nkr40) connectswithflights townandairport. The the journeybetween Taxi TaxiSvalbard Maxi Getting Around 11th least expensive. ferent bookearlytoavoid payingthe tariffs; or twicedaily.There are asmany11dif- year-round, once makingthe957kmflight orviaTromsømer (three weekly) flights SASfliesto/from Oslo directlyfloes. insum- gives otherworldlyviewsof glaciers andice In clearweather,thedescenttoLongyearbyen Getting There&Away back of the Coop Supermarket. to buyit.TheNordpoletbooze outletisatthe present avalidonwardairlineticket inorder it’s rationedforlocalsandvisitors must su pub. snug dry spiritsshimmering behindthebarof this 1000 bottlesof whiskies,brandiesandsun- and prepare of tobedazzledatthesight over Enter The CoopSupermarket inSvalbardbutikken Bicycles would beabetter bet, andyou Possibilities forcar hire include Huset is your all-purpose night spot,with night isyourall-purpose Huset Although alcoholAlthough isduty-free inSvalbard,

( % You’ll tank up onthecheapest You’lltank petrol in

79 021375) ( % Karls-Berger PubCafé Karls-Berger 78 021188) h SVALBARD ••AroundLongyearbyen ( 5pm-2am) % charge Nkr80toNkr120for 79 021305) and Poli Arctici , putonyourshades Svalbard Auto Svalbard Auto and

(

% ( % Longyearbyen Longyearbyen 79 022511; 79 02 17 05; ( % 79 02 per day). Nkr150 perday) Nkr1000 to Nkr1400. bile inwinter,toflashyourhome you’llneed traverses theriver slopes,crosses somesteep flows downfrom yourleft.Thetrackthen the terminal moraineandcross astream that of abridge (onyour left),you’llapproach track.After theremainsand ontoarough bank, pasttheabandonedminebuildings, andheadupthe river’sthe Huset trueleft foraging. little ago. guidedwalksbuildintimefora Several that lefttheirmarks40to60million years churns upplantfossils–leaves andtwigs more tropicalclimate. Theterminal moraine sil layers, created whenSvalbard enjoyeda layers material, of includingfos- sedimentary byen have scoured and gouged many through upper, southwestern outskirtsof Longyear- The prominentglaciertongueslicking atthe Longyearbreen to have once operated. issaid (1050m), where aSwedish observatory tinue tothesummitof Nordenskiöldsfjellet port. Onceontheplateau it’spossibletocon- (yes, itmeans‘bearvalley’),southof theair- can alsoget ontoPlatåberget via Bjørndalen Blomsterdalen, notfarfromMineNo3.You the governor’s or,preferably, office sneakup cend asteep, scree-covered route fromnear and makes forapopulardayhike. Eitheras- Platåberget (commonlycalledThePlateau) looks Longyearbyentothewestisknownas The extensive uplandregion thatover- Platåberget &Bjørndalen AROUND LONGYEARBYEN Kroa Reiser 02 1666;www.scooterutleie.svalbard.no) agencies include allow wildlife alittlepeaceandquiet.Rental many areas are limitsforsnowmobiles off to driving licence. Checkwiththetouristoffice; follows theold coal-mine Taubanen cableway The Burma Rd,which isnowa walking track, Burma Road hours, notcounting fossicking time. 5km return hike takes about fromHuset 1½ upstream toitsendatthe fossil fields.The (sometimes there’s abridge) and continues To scootaroundSvalbard onasnowmo- To get there underyourownsteam, pass

( % or 79 025650). Basecamp Svalbard Snøscooterutleie Dailyrates are from ( % 79 024600;Nkr280 and Svalbard

( % 379

79 SVALBARD SVALBARD SVALBARD Svalbard’s onlyremaining Russian settle- ofThe first thingyousee Barentsburg, pop 600 (the onlyonethat still functions). the defunct With acarorbike, out to youcanalsocruise Longyearbyen, thena station. northern lights ter lake thatprovides drinking water for gent huskykennels; Isdammen,afreshwa- should carry a firearm. crossing signatthetownendof thevalley,you fromthepolarbear hiking, butasyou’llsense with wildArcticlandscapes.There’s pleasant wide-open Stark, Adventdalen beckonsvisitors Adventdalen the airport.Itmakes aneasy hike. half-day to theprocessingplantandMineNo3,near 380 of the last century. itfeelsers furthereastand inheroicpose, bust of and muralsof Lenin musclywork- signing in Cyrillicscript, astill-standing run-down, dishevelled and sooty.Withits and stockpilesare huge. Everything’s abit on theopenmarket problem isaconstant it selling 350,000 tonnesper year,though against allodds and stillproducesupto This isolated village continuestominecoal ing darkblacksmoke intotheblue sky. ment, isitspower-station chimney, belch- BARENTSBURG After leaving town,you’llpass thepun- sprigs ofediblematter. stones andpebblestheymouthalongwith teeth havingbeengroundtostumpsbythe when they’re abouteightyearsold,their Svalbard reindeer slowlytodeath starve constant byanannualcullof250.Most timated populationofaround8000iskept sustaining speed–theythrive andthees- are quickoutofthetrapsbutincapable distancesforpolarbears,which than short predators –they’re toofleetover other of twotosixanimals. Sincetheyhave no don’t live inherdsbutfamilygroups theircousinsonthemainland,theyUnlike proving inover thattheywalked theice. have beenfoundbearingRussiantags, their distantCanadian cousins andsome Svalbard’s reindeer to are geneticallyakin SVALBARD’S REINDEER VLAD • aetbr SVALBARD ••Barentsburg coal mineNos5and6 andpass No 7

( to the following. before theboatweighs anchor andfitin avisit is over, dorush aroundinthe short timeleft as partof anorganised tour. Oncetheguiding bevisitingBarentsburgYou’ll almostcertainly initial standard two-year contracts. toremainchoose inBarentsburg beyondtheir half of Barentsburg’s people)and quite alot in (ortheUkraine,hometoaround ditions here are preferable athome tothose cows clompingaround.Formostpeople, con- afew ofmay see thecommunity’svery last you ended upinthecookingpot–though mostofHowever, theformerpigfarmhas onionsandpeppers.including tomatoes, tinues togrowsomeof itsownproduce, 600. around and thetown’spopulationhasdwindled to orologists andglaciologistsstillresearches, asmallteam ofthough geophysicists, mete- down. Thescientificcommunityis reduced, and obsolete miningequipmentisbreaking are nowbeingeaten upbyRussian inflation intheNetherlands.Paypower stations cheques shipments godirectly to tothewest,notably explosion and fire. mine later, 23miners diedinadevastating from theUkraine. Thenin1997,onlyayear near Adventdalen ( left ) were miners’ families perished inaplanecrashduringblizzard has knowntragedy. In1996manyof who those that lasted untilthefallof the Soviet Union. andscientificresearchgrowth, development andembarked onaperiodof the job later). In1948itwasrebuilt byTrust finished navy itself (ironically, theGerman in 1941toprevent itfallingintoNazihands tially destroyedbytheBritishRoyalNavy Arktikugol. Trust Twelve years totheSoviet later itpassed founded bytheDutch companyNespico. shaftsalso sank andin1920thetownwas othercompanies operations.Several started when the SpitsbergenKullkompaniet Isefjord tified asacoalproducingarea around1900, Barentsburg, wasfirst iden- onGrønfjorden, History Sights &Activities % These days,mostofThese TrustArktikugol’scoal Barentsburg, like otherpitonSvalbard, every The simple, appealinglittle Supplies are andBarentsburg sparse con- Like Longyearbyen,Barentsburg waspar- 79 02 18 14;admission Nkr40; h lonelyplanet.com when tour boatsare Pomor museum

in port) Book yourstayatlonelyplanet.com/hotels ping intoifyou should beafter a babushka 238 steps tothequayside. It’s worthdrop- positioned asyoubegin todescendthe SouvenirePolar Star Shop is conveniently Shopping where in theWest,let alone Norway. McCoy caviar findelse- atpricesyou’llnever Russian beer. large It alsosells tinsof theReal andgenerous slugofaffordable vodkaora cated withRussian champagne and vodka. both RussianandUkrainiancuisine, lubri- ing, signonforthegourmetdinner, offering parsley andsourcream. Ifyou’re overnight- andArcticsorrel, boiled porkwithpotatoes Russian meals,featuring such specialitiesas traditional accommodation forvisitors) serves The Barentsburg only Hotel (thesettlement’s Hotel Barentsburg Sleeping &Eating buildings, itmeritspokingyour inside. nose aside fromthecommunity’sother and set 1997 (see opposite ). Above thefootballpitch memorates thetwindisasters of 1996and covery’ by Willem Barents. to thearchipelago’s accepted European‘dis- suggesting Russian activityinSvalbard prior logical exhibitsandthecollectionof artefacts Especially worthwhileare theexcellentgeo- Russian miningandhistoryonSvalbard. Pomor tradewithmainlandRussia, plus

1 2 BARENTSBURG

In thebar,you can enjoyadeliciously The smallwoodenOrthodox G

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outlines(inRussian only)thehistoric o r d n To The e 14 A 5

( 10 4 % Heliport (2km) 79 021080,1814;dNkr550) 9 2 3 To the

11 ulitsa Ivana ulitsa 6

13 ulitsa Vladimir Rusanov Vladimir ulitsa Starostina 7 SVALBARD ••Pyramiden 8 To TheMine 12 1 chapel BC com- Research Area...... Pomor Museum...... Lenin Monument...... Harbourmaster's House...... Greenhouses &CattleFarm...... Church...... Alexandrplatz &FootballPitch.. Russian Consulate...... Post Office...... (see12) SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION

looming pyramid-shaped mountain that rises thatrises looming pyramid-shaped mountain Svalbard, Pyramiden wasnamed forthe in settlement Formerly Russia’s second PYRAMIDEN hours each way. a more leisurely, much more enjoyable three 22 minutes buttours stretch the journey to Longyearbyen andBarentsburg isprecisely and iceona alsocallin cruises at Barentsburg. mostly occupiedbyaguidedtour. Mostlonger lunch andaround1½hours inBarentsburg, homeward journey.Thepriceincludes alight tothevast the fjord Esmark glacier onthe abandoned inthe1960s,andalsoheads across one-time Russian collieryof Grumantbyen, whichpastthe ishalfthefun,sails cruise, to Barentsburg fromLongyearbyen. The nine- to10-hour touroperators ( Several p373 ) dosummertime Getting There&Away surplus. army lapelbadge orsomeSovietdoll, Lenin 2500 Russian residents, the well exceeding in 1931. In the1950sthere were asmany Trust Arktikugol, exploiters of Barentsburg, Russkiy , which soldout totheSoviet In 1926 it wastaken over byaSoviet firm, Swedish concern thatexploited Sveagruva. here and operationswere upbythesame set nearby. Inthemid-1910s coalwasdiscovered Nkr2150/1200) In winter, youcanbeltacrossthesnow . Therecord forthetripbetween 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 B2 B2 B1 A2 A1 A1 A1 B1 snowmobile guidedtour boat trips SLEEPING Boat Landing...... Polar StarSouvenireShop...... Barentsburg Hotel...... Trust ArktikugolMineOffices.. 'Town Square'Platform...... &CulturalCentre...... Sports Hall,SwimmingPool,Library TRANSPORT SHOPPING 400m 0.2miles 0 0

(adult/child Nkr1190/890) D

(adult/child 14 13 12 11 10 9

A2 A2 A2 B2 B2 B2

381 SVALBARD SVALBARD SVALBARD was abouttoarrive whenwewere laston over quarters). theChinese India’sfirst team Arctic foxes, watch twomarblelionsstand China (bizarrely inthislandof polarbears and and,sinceJuly 2004, Survey British Antarctic nations,including Japan,several France,the nent scientificpostwithresearch of stations Ålesund hassincerecycled asapromi- itself in 21deaths, miningstoppedin1963.Ny the lastof lethalexplosionsresulted several people oncelived andworked here but,after minedforcoal.AsKings Bay manyas300 Canada). and three otherequallyminusculespotsinRussia youcouldmake for munity (although acase most permanentlyinhabited civiliancom- likes toclaimthatit’stheworld’snorthern- KullCompani,Ny Ålesund the KingsBay west of Longyearbyen.Foundedin1916by scientific postof Ny Ålesund,107kmnorth- some backdropanywhere onearththanthe you’d behardpressed tofindamore awe- Despite latitude(79°N), itsinhospitable pop 30 child Nkr2450/1500). along onawinter snowmobile (adult/ safari (adult/child Nkr1090/790)oryoucanscoot cies offer toPyramiden 10-hourdaycruises Various Longyearbyen-based touragen- and Pyramidenwasabandonedin1998. longer themine willingorable tosubsidise coaltobeprofitable,enough Russiawasno pool. swimming and theworld’smostnortherlyhotel and inBarentsburg similar tothose enterprises had 60kmof shafts,130homes,agricultural its productive heydayintheearly1990sit population of Longyearbyentoday.During 382 likes of Lincoln Ellsworth, Roald Amundsen, plorers offfromNyÅlesund, includingthe set sites of this tiny settlement. pretive panelsthat takes you aroundthemain There’s a 1.5kmtrailwithmultilingualinter- Sights 15 countries fly in. of beds available) asresearchers fromabout moresummer (never sincethat’sthenumber tion of around30scientists,risingto130 in Svalbard. There’s ahardyyear-round popula- N ÅLESUND NY Throughout muchThroughout of the20thcentury In thelate 1990sthemine nolonger yielded In the early 20th century several polarex- In theearly 20thcenturyseveral VLAD • yÅeud SVALBARD ••NyÅlesund - 130 hour or two. andlingerÅlesund ontouristcruises foran relating thecoal-mininghistoryof this area. the oldTiedemann’s Tabak (tobacco)shop, the early 1910s andexploited by aSwedish Coal was first discovered at Sveagruva in Sveagruva AROUND SPITSBERGEN some forlorn machinery remain. ing andthawing. Acoupleof buildingsand renderedbeen worthlessbyaeonsof freez- in 1911onlytodiscover that thestonehad Company whoattempted to quarrymarble Mansfield of theNorthernExploration southern endof theisland,recalls oneErnest a Norwegiangeologist. NyLondon,atthe be appropriate, butitwasinfactnamedfor name Blomstrand,or‘flowerbeach’, would end andit’snowanisland.Insummer the released fromtheicygripon itsnorthern peninsula but,intheearly1990s, itwas Gravelly Blomstrandhalvøya wasoncea Blomstrandhalvøya Svalbard’s most recognisable landmarks. respectively – jutfromtheiceandare among honour of Denmark,SwedenandNorway, Svea (1226m)and Nora(1226m)–namedin distinctive Tre Kronerpeaks,Dana(1175m), shores withexpansive white icefields.The contrastsbleakgrey-brownspectacularly KullCompani), namesake fortheKingsBay Ny Ålesund’sbackdrop, (the Kongsfjorden Kongsfjorden AROUND NYÅLESUND Museum ernmost railway relic. locomotive is,naturally,theworld’snorth- it remained until1958.Therestored inuse to connectthecoalfieldswithharbourand 1917 anarrow-gauge railwaywasconstructed stranded missions around town. repeat attempt. You’llsee returned tolaunch the in handyagaintwoyears later, whenNobile overflight thepoletoAlaskain1926;itcame to launch theairship chor pylon Admiral ByrdandUmbertoNobile. The All non-professional visitors arrive inNy Perhaps isthe themostunusualsight The townalsosupportsaneatlittle (Gruvemuseum; donationsuggested; steam locomotive steam was used by Nobile and Amundsen byNobileandAmundsen wasused Norge Italia nearthedock.In ontheirsuccessful memorials onhisill-fated lonelyplanet.com h to these tothese 24hr) Mine an- in lonelyplanet.com a settlement ofa settlement 300 workers. by thelate 1970sSveagruva hadgrowninto but activity snappedback after thewar and were in 1944 bya submarineattack levelled SNSK took itover in1934.The operations 400,000 tonnesof coalannuallybythetime afire andwasyielding eral times,survived company. Thecolliery changed handssev- vessel Passage. tonavigate theNorthwest Whenthe August 1905theyemerged intowaters fromthewest,becomingfirst thathadbeencharted Pole,studiedthelives oftheInuitandlearnedhowtodriveof theMagneticNorth dogteams. By tookmagnetic readings establishingtheposition Fortwoyearstheybuiltobservatories, Gjøahavn. tonne sloop Pole. Thestudy oftheMagneticNorth expeditionsetoutfromOsloinJune1903aboardthe47- displaying hisabilityinacrisis. to overwinter intheAntarctic. Amundsentookcommand, Whenthecaptainfell illwithscurvy, ship froze fastintheicenearPeter IIslandandbecame–unintentionally –thefirstexpedition never back. looked he dutifullystudiedmedicine,butwhenshediedin1893returned tohispolardreams and and devoured every bitofliterature Followinghismother’s wishes, hecouldfindon the subject. ers andcaptainsin1872atBorge, nearSarpsborg, hedreamed ofbecomingapolarexplorer Norwegian RoaldAmundsenhadthemostdetermination andgrit.Bornintoafamilyofshipown- If FridtjofNansen(seethe boxed text, p351 ofanypolarexplorer, fellow) hadthebiggestheart ROALD AMUNDSEN sea butwere rescued. crew membersandreturned oneplanetoNordaustlandet,inSvalbard,where theyditchedat Riiser-Larsen, offwithallsix hewedarunwaywithhandtools,managedtotake pilot, Hjalmar butfaultyequipmentforcedthemtolandonseaice about 150kmfromthepole. TheAlaska, sponsored the expedition andtwoplanestookofffromSvalbardboundforLincoln Ellsworth the Norwegian flagalready flying. onthereturn journey–arrivedtion, diedofcoldandstarvation on17January1912todiscover the SouthPoleon14December1911.Scott–who,togetherwithfourmembers ofhisexpedi- South PolethanScott’sbase. Withfourcompanionsand13-dogsleds,Amundsenreached with thesamegoal. Falconthat Britain’sRobert Scott’s Peary tookthathonour. Soin1910Amundsenheadedinstead fortheSouthPole,onlytolearn 900km away,toannouncetheirsuccess. overand anAmericancompanionsetoffbydog-sledtothetelegraph stationatEagle,Alaska, hours –thefirstever America. flightbetweenEurope andNorth Pole. On14MaytheylandedtriumphantlyatTeller,North havingflown5456km in72 Alaska, on 11May1926and,16hourslater, droppedtheNorwegian, AmericanandItalianflagsonthe Riiser-Larsen Nobile. andtheItalianexplorer Theytime withEllsworth, Umberto leftSpitsbergen been found. rescued, Amundsen’slastsignalswere received just three hoursafter takeoff. bodyhasnever His Amundsen joinedtherescue.in theArctic, AlthoughNobileandhiscrew were subsequently Having gained a reputation as a captain, Amundsen set his sights on the Northwest PassageHaving gainedareputation asacaptain,AmundsensethissightsontheNorthwest and asfirstmateBy 1897hewassailingtotheAntarctic ontheBelgian Never onetogive up,Amundsentriedagainthefollowingyearaboardairship In 1925Amundsenattempted tobecomethefirstflyover Pole. The theNorth American Amundsen’s shipdroppedanchorinJanuary1911atRoosevelt Island,60kmcloser tothe Amundsen hadwanted Pole,butinApril1909Robert tobethefirstmanreach theNorth In May1928Nobileattempted anotherexpeditionintheairship Gj SVALBARD ••AroundSpitsbergen ø a andoverwintered WilliamIsland,whichtheynamed inanaturalharbouronKing Terra Nova expeditionwassettingoutfromNewZealand of Europe’s biggest producing mines. p371 ) hastaken over itsmantle andisone tors. Nowadays, thenearby Svea Nord(see to justa handful of miners and administra- pit; and by themid-1990s ithaddwindled led toadecline at theoriginalSveagruva tion aroundmore-accessible Longyearbyen Over thefollowingyears increasedOver produc- Gj ø a againfroze fastintheice,Amundsen Italia Belgica and,whenitcrashed expedition.Their Norge, this

383 SVALBARD SVALBARD SVALBARD adventurer ArnoldPike, northin whosailed find theremains of acottage builtbyEnglish covered graves era. You’llalso fromthesame stone- aswelleight century whalingstation, ruins of three blubberstoves froma17th- across thelonelybeach. Amongthemare the of broken several dreams nowliescattered gravely islandof Danskøya, where theremains Spitsbergen is Virgohamna, onthebleak, One of themostintriguingsites innorthwest Danskøya moss and grasses. even Svalbard’s mostverdant spots,withflowers, some crowdedbird overlookingcliffs oneof of operation.Opposite theentrance rise toNyÅlesundafterwholesale onlytwoyears telegraph thatwasshifted office German as wellaheapof leftover junkfroma1912 whalers’ graves several youcansee the fjord, ships. At Ebeltoftbukta, near the mouthof Krossfjorden also attractsquite a few cruise culturalrelics,water glacier)andseveral Thanks toLillehöökbreen (itsgrandtide- Krossfjorden and tect seals breeding walruses, lions. sea asidetopro- Forlandet isanationalparkset shaped 86km-long island of PrinsKarls On thewest coast of Spitsbergen, theoddly Prins KarlsForlandet whalers. mid-18th-century numerous protected graves of 17th-and stoves toboiltheblubber. used There are the remains youcanstillsee offjord, two ing; atGraveneset, nearthemouthof the century, thisarea heavy saw Dutch whal- Spitsbergen’s western coast.Inthe17th ciers, isthemostpopularanchorage along ing peaksandintimidatingtidewater gla- in Nordvest Spitsbergen, flanked bytower- The lovely blue-green bayof Magdalenefjord Magdalenefjord 384 VLAD • rudSisegn SVALBARD ••AroundSpitsbergen disturb the walruses’ disturb thewalruses’ breeding activities. approach within300mof theisland,lestthey boatsareand mid-September, notallowed to mid-May between or driftice. Inanycase, population, butare often turnedbackbypack gravelly Moffen Island, knownforitswalrus attempt toapproachMost touristcruises flat, Moffen Island tered aroundthenearby sound, Fairhaven. graves. There are more whalers’ graves, scat- remains of ittoday are ovens seven andsome in 1617byDutch andDanishconcerns,allthat Co-foundedtown’ inDutch) whalingstation. the large Smeerenburg (meaning ‘blubber The islandof Amsterdamøya wasthesite of Amsterdamøya &Fairhaven the marked paths. thingandstickstrictlytoable sodotheright who manage toget here, consider- hasbeen bythefewErosion damage, caused visitors rusted 44-gallon fueldrums)isprotected. of theremaining junk(includingdozensof had already reached thepoleanyway.All he’dheardthatRobert Pearymainly because technical problemsand gave upforgood; floated towithin60kmof thepole,metwith a storm.Onhisthirdattempt, in1909,he to tryagain,hisshipwasbadlydamaged in whenhereturnedship butfailed.Nextyear, tempted toreach theNorthPoleinanair- who wassponsored byaUS newspaper,at- across theirlastsite on Kvitøya. ship putashorea seal-hunting andstumbled wasn’t knownuntil1930,whensailors from the NorthPole. Thefate of hisexpedition Virgohamna inanairship, hoping toreach who inthesummerof offfrom 1897set SalomonAugustAndrée, Swedish engineer on polarbears and reindeer. his yacht Then, in1906,journalistWalter Wellman, The nextadventurer atVirgohamna was Siggen andspentawinter subsisting lonelyplanet.com www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright theterms andconditions onoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,or resell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer In return, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse, accesstothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake

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