DAY 8 SUNDAY OCT 15, MINE #3 For some ungodly reason, I have scheduled this tour to be at 9 a.m. what an idiot! Would have been fun to sleep in since it seems so easy to do here with the dark. The room is nice and warm and we have to open the windows to cool off a bit and stay under the duvets. Perfect for sleeping. This is a great room but Saturday night must be party night and let off some steam because there were a lot of people in the pedestrian way very late last night. A room on the other side of the hotel might have been a bit better. Still, it's good.
Breakfast had a nice treat this morning of bacon and eggs. Usually not there. But we are ready to be picked up at 9 and away we go to the mine with the maxi taxi driver. The van is full of people from various places and we have a young lady will be our guide in the mine.
Mine 3 was actually opened after Mine #1,2, 4, and 5. But it was the third discovered and marked and claimed so it retained its status as mine #3. When the miners/owners and all decided to shut the mine and leave it, they just walked off basically and left everything there. In the polar north and polar night, often it is just much cheaper and easier to leave stuff than to go to the expense of clearing it or moving it or shipping it out. Guess that makes sense and also explains a good deal of why you always see photos of polar villages that look like total junkyards.
We looked at the stuff outside for a bit and it was blowing and snowing and cold. There was a small railroad outside that carried coal. And before that, there were towers built that carried to coal from the mine to a processing plant and coal yard where it would be gathered up to be shipped elsewhere and sold. The towers were very much like modern power poles but were made from wood and had cables on them where the large buckets of coal would swing from tower to tower until getting to the coal yard. She said there were still some buckets on some of the towers but I never saw that.
Then we are into the mine and the first part is offices and preparation rooms and break rooms and such
. During the last years, they had numbers on a board and you took your number when you came in and put it on the board when you left. That way they knew if anyone was still in the mine. Before the numbers, there was a board with your name and your survival kit. You turned your name over and took your survival kit and put it on your belt. If you forgot to turn your name over and check out, they would look for you in the mine. If you forgot to check in, they would never look for you even if your survival kit was gone.
The survival kit was a small metal container that looked like a small lunch box but it had a mask and a nose plug and supposedly would give you oxygen to breathe for a few minutes, long enough to walk away from a methane pocket or something. Problem was, to work, it required a certain amount of oxygen to be present and if you ended up in a methane pocket, there wasn’t enough oxygen for the respirator to work so you were dead. That happened more than once. Now they have a different self rescue-er that works when there is no oxygen present but still a very dangerous profession.
So we are going into the mine now. We go into the changing room where we get a blue suit to put over our clothes. I have to put it over my clothes with my coat on top
. My husband does too and thinks he won’t take his coat with him but I convince him otherwise when I ask her the temperature in the mine. She says it might be around zero.
We also get a hardhat that has a head lamp on it. This is what the miners wore to see. There were no lights where they were working. At one time, they had a lead battery with a light. The lead battery was pretty heavy and wouldn’t always keep a charge so they might be deep in the mine working when suddenly their light would go out. They would have to figure out how to get out in the dark, and this is total pitch black dark with no light. Also available for us to try were a more recent version of lights that connected a battery pack to their belt with a small light. These weren’t working but several of the guests put them on for the realistic feel of what the miners carried, sort of, and put the self rescue-er on the belt as well. We didn’t.
The lead battery lights were also used on the trains. The trains had a light on the front of each car and one of the back of each car so the miners would know when a train was coming. Usually good except when the batteries went out. But the engine would also have a number that said how many cars they had attached to them
.
Everything in the mine was so fascinating and dangerous to hear how they mined. What a life. And one that I would not have wanted to experience for anything.
This was the best article I could find online to talk about the coal mining experience: I found this at: http://website.lineone.net/~polar.publishing/svalbardcoal.htm
""””Svalbard Coal - A Hundred Years
by Ken Catford
Articles in Polar Worlds (December 2002) have given a wonderful impression of the remote and awe-inspiring natural environment of the Svalbard archipelago. However, during most of the twentieth century, man's main reason for travelling north to Svalbard was much more down to earth - beneath the earth in fact! The reason was coal.
Svalbard's coal seams provide one of the few sources of good quality coal in the far north
. It was ideal for fuelling steam shipping on the Northern Sea Route as well as supplying Norwegian railways in the days of steam.
The Gulf Stream warms the western shores of Spitsbergen, which is the main island of the Svalbard group, melting the sea ice and giving access to shipping for a few months each year. It also alleviates the worst of the climatic conditions, making life tolerable with mean monthly temperatures ranging from -15 °C in January to +6 °C in July. In summer the islands enjoy 24-hour daylight and conversely when the sun sinks below the horizon in mid-November it does not reappear until the end of January.
This is the environment in which men have struggled to win coal during the last hundred years.
The coal outcrops had become known during the nineteenth century and sealing and whaling crews would simply come ashore and dig out the coal for themselves, at first to fuel the boiling of whale blubber and then with the advent of steam vessels to stoke the boilers. The first attempt to exploit Svalbard coal commercially was by a Norwegian, Søren Zachariassen, who mined on the north shore of Isfjorden from 1899.
In 1901 the luxury cruise ship Auguste Viktoria visited the fjords of Spitsbergen. One of the passengers admiring the scenery was an American industrialist, John Munro Longyear. He noticed the small-scale mining on Isfjorden and his imagination was fired. Two years later he was back again with two business colleagues, and that second quick visit settled the idea. Never mind the permafrost, the frozen winter seas and 24-hour darkness, or that biting cold wind: they would turn coal mining on Svalbard into a prosperous business venture!
He set about the task systematically and efficiently. From 1906 gangs of men worked throughout the summer, with some continuing through the winter, to establish a mine together with all the necessary paraphernalia of workshops, transport system and loading quay. In 1907 Longyear's first three shiploads of coal reached the Norwegian mainland.
Svalbard at that time was still a political no-man's-land, and although Longyear had staked mineral claims over large areas there was no effective system of enforcement. Longyear became paranoid about 'trespassers' from other countries who also attempted to exploit Svalbard's coal. Among those was a British company which had set up a mining operation as early as 1904, but it has to be said that they were no match for Longyear's business-like approach
. The British operation struggled along for a few years until being taken over by Norwegians who kept some production going until 1939.
Russia also came prospecting, and in 1912 one of the last activities of Russian explorer Vladimir Rusanov (whose subsequent expedition along the north coast of Siberia was lost without trace) was to investigate coal seams at Grumant on the shore of Isfjorden. Longyear predictably was enraged by this encroachment but the Russians were not deterred.
Even the Scottish scientist William Spiers Bruce had an altercation with Longyear. Bruce was surveying Prins Karls Forland in 1907 when through a misunderstanding Longyear sent out a search party for him when no rescue was required. Longyear's correspondence with Bruce's solicitors in Scotland over who should pay the costs dragged on for months, but no compensation was paid.
In 1916 Longyear sold out to the Norwegian government and the state-owned SNSK (Store Norsk Spitsbergen Kulkompani) took over. By this time Longyear had developed two mines, one on each side of Longyeardalen valley. Yes, not only had he named the valley after himself, but the miners' village became known as Longyearbyen
!
SNSK developed more mines in Longyeardalen in the 1930s and subsequently further along the southern slopes of Adventdalen from the late 1950s.
In parallel with the Norwegian developments, the Soviet Union opened an extensive mine at Barentsburg in the 1930s and another at the very remote location of Pyramiden on Billefjorden, which came into production in the 1940s.
By the mid-twentieth century, a sizeable Norwegian mining village had developed at Longyearbyen, and there were separate Soviet communities at Barentsburg, Grumant and Pyramiden. Further afield, Norwegian mining activities were also to be found to the south at Svea on Van Mijenfjorden, and to the north at Ny Ålesund on Kings Bay.
It goes without saying that it was a tough life, being a miner on Svalbard. The main coal seams outcropped high on the valley sides, so getting to work involved trekking up a steep track on the snow and ice covered slopes, in darkness in winter, in the face of that icy wind if not a blizzard. Once there, the working seam was generally less than a metre high, and the temperature in the mines was a constant -4 °C
.
Living accommodation until at least the 1970s was very basic, and the Soviet propaganda of the time that their community facilities were better than the Norwegians' seems to have been true - there was a swimming pool at Pyramiden, for example; by far the most northerly in the world! The communities of course were male dominated, although miners could bring their wives with them if they could find work in the laundry or canteen, or as wardens of the hostel blocks. Generally in the summer the miners went home to Norway or Russia (and Ukraine in many cases) for a few weeks, because the main production activity took place in winter. Summertime effort was concentrated on loading the ships from the huge stock-piles of coal which had accumulated waiting for the sea ice to clear.
The problem of transporting the coal from mine to quay was solved by the very ingenious ropeway system. Continuous moving ropes straddling between timber trestles carried buckets each with a capacity of 0.7 tonnes of coal, at a rate of up to 120 buckets per hour. For nearly 80 years the ropeway network provided a continuous service unaffected by snow and ice, until eventually heavy lorries took over. Many of the trestles still remain, and are a characteristic feature throughout the Longyearbyen area
. 'Ropeway Central', which was the main control centre and complicated junction point, still stands as a prominent structure on the hillside.
There was no ropeway at Ny Ålesund, where the flatter ground enabled a narrow-gauge steam railway to be laid in 1917. Visitors to Ny Ålesund today can still see the tiny locomotive with a few trucks preserved close to the quay. Mining at Ny Ålesund ceased in 1963 following a mine explosion which killed 21 miners. A scientific research station now occupies the attractive domestic buildings of the mining village.
Tragedies
It is sad to record that Svalbard's mining operations were dogged by accidents throughout the century. Hardly a year went by without at least one fatality. On one day for example in 1952, two separate gas explosions killed six and nine miners respectively, and a year later 19 were killed. During less than 50 years' mining at the tiny community of Ny Ålesund, no fewer than 80 miners died.
When Liv Balstad left her high-society circles in Oslo in 1946, having just married the Governor of Svalbard, she was the first influential woman to experience life on Spitsbergen. Ten years later her memoirs created a political stir in Norway with their revelation of the harsh living and working conditions in this forgotten outpost of Scandinavia.
There is less information about the Soviet Union's mines but perhaps they fared no better and certainly as recently as 1997 23 miners died in a mine fire at Barentsburg. This followed an even greater tragedy in 1996 when a Russian plane carrying 141 people (including miners' families from Ukraine) crashed close to Adventdalen during a blizzard. These tragedies are commemorated by a small chapel recently erected in the centre of Barentsburg.
Mining at Svea
Mining at Longyearbyen declined towards the end of the twentieth century, and SNSK is developing a new, modern mine 50 kilometres to the south at Svea. Because of its environmental impact this is a controversial project, but at present it seems that the closure of the last Longyearbyen mine is imminent, with all future Norwegian effort to be concentrated at Svea.
International heritage
A unique and fascinating aspect is the existence of two separate communities with such completely different characteristics - Norway and Russia. The two sets of communities have always kept themselves very much to themselves but lived in harmony.
It is astonishing that extensive industrial activity should have taken place for over a hundred years in such a remote location and in such extreme climatic conditions. Also it is fortunate for our future heritage that many of the industrial archaeological remains are officially protected by the Governor of Svalbard as 'cultural relics'.
A concern for the future must be the increasing pressure of tourism. Some of the tourists who come to Longyearbyen expecting to experience a natural Arctic wilderness are dismayed to find themselves in the midst of a coal-mining community, and its structural remains. There could be increasing pressure from the tour companies to 'tidy up' the surroundings of Longyearbyen. The Governor must be encouraged to adhere to his present strict policy of preservation, and to resist forcibly any pressure to remove or 'prettify' those features such as the mine buildings and Ropeway Central, which in the future will represent a remarkable story of twentieth-century man's struggle against the elements.
© K.E. Catford 2004 (text and photographs). Ken Catford is an Architect who has been an enthusiast of industrial archaeology for many years. His interest in researching early development in the Arctic has arisen through several visits to Arctic regions since 1990. This article is derived from his research paper: 'The industrial archaeology of Spitsbergen' in Industrial Archaeology Review Vol.XXIV, No.1 (May 2002) published for the Association for Industrial Archaeology by Maney Publishing, Leeds, UK.
“”””
The entire place did look as if the miners had just gone home for the day and would be back for their next shift later. Our guide told us that newbies sometimes only last a few days or a few weeks because the work was so very, very hard. The lack of light, the cold, the dirt, the work was so physically demanding. Often they were working in areas where they were crawling on their stomachs to get to the coal and they had to pull their gear behind them or push it in front of them. I cannot even imagine. Basecamp had built a small “tunnel” that we could crawl through but when some of the real miners came in and saw the tunnel, they laughed because they said it was about 2x as high as their real tunnels for working.
So many dangers too. Dangers of coal dust self igniting so it was coated with chalk dust from England which would bind with the coal and help contain that problem but breathing both was bad for you. Pockets of methane gas would build up. Guess it was too cold to use canaries here like in mines in the states. The dark! We all turned off our headlamps at one point and it was black, black, black, and we had a small light behind us by several 100 yards and it was still black. The drills were heavy, the explosives were sweaty, the trains were in danger of leaving the tracks or running you over. And people were killed. There were small areas where you could go sit to eat your lunch but once you went in, you worked until time to leave and walk down the hill in the dark and cold and ice and wind until next shift. No wonder people didn’t stay long. It is a very good tour though and so glad we went to see it. Hasn’t been sanitized like so many mine tours but also most of the small crawlways where they dug out the coal have collapsed in on themselves as the coal in those places is gone so the jacks and beams are taken out when the they leave and the mountain pressure collapses. Another dangerous job to have as you didn’t know when it would collapse, seconds or years later.
We are finally back to the changing room and take off our suits and hard hats. Our taxi is coming back and he graciously stops at the Seed vault door so we can take a photo. We can’t go up to the door because the road is bad. Runa, our Trapper Lodge guide, had been lucky enough to have some connections to get into the vault and see the seeds. Then we also spotted some reindeer in the field moving towards the airport. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good photos of them because too dark and too far away but we at least saw reindeer a couple of times.
Some more walking around in the afternoon after lunch. It has been a very different type of vacation for us. There was more to do such as hiking to the ice cave, going on a glacier, but stuff that also wasn’t really best to do until later in the season when the snow is really covering the ground and really cold, cold, cold. At least we got to see the Northern Lights 3 times.
If is finally time to go to our fancy last night dinner at Spitsbergen hotel which is further away than I thought. We are going to walk and it’s maybe ½ mile up the road, across the bridge, then up the hill as the hotel sits on top of a hill. Wow, not so convenient if you want to do much. I am glad we were much closer in town. The entrance is filled with people shoes and boots. We add ours to the collection and walk upstairs to reception. She directs us to the dining room. A young woman seats us at a table and brings the menu to explain it. A party is going on at the far end of the restaurant which two tables of celebrants.
They have a 7 course meal which you may get with or without wine. If you get it with wine, you will get a different wine paired with each course. Of course that is rather expensive being around $150 a person, I think is what I saw. Had not intended to spend that much! She also explained we could just get a starter and a main. So we studied the menu everything that was offered did not sound very good to me. The only thing I thought I could eat would be just the cheese plate. Even the desserts didn’t sound very good. Hubby thought he could get the cod but it came with some sort of beetroot thing-y. I confused consume with aspic and was thinking that wouldn’t be good either. Might have been as it would have been consume with reindeer but it just wasn’t doing it for me nor for him though not quite as much blah for him as for me. So we told her we didn’t think we could find anything. She took us to the bar which had a different menu but it didn’t seem much better so we just left and walked back down the hill and across the bridge and back to our hotel and went across the street to the Svalbard bar again and Hubby had the delicious fish stew again and I had chips (French fries) and watched a bit of a football game while we ate.
Then back to our room and pack our suitcases and distribute the weight a little better for our trip home tomorrow.
DAY 9, LAST DAY, MONDAY OCT 16, 2015 - BACK HOME
Really no plans today other than to have breakfast, finish packing up and then catching the bus shuttle to the airport and leaving. We have to change planes in Oslo but don’t have to spend the night so no problems there. There were many more people at breakfast this morning. They have a long table in the breakfast room with chairs on one side against the wall. IF the room was full, you’d have a hard time getting to the middle of the table there to sit. Luckily it wasn’t full but still more people than have been in the hotel before so we didn’t get our usual seats in the corner.
Check out was 11 so we muscled our bags downstairs and a nice hotel guest helped us. The shuttle bus comes somewhere around 11:30 and doesn’t stop unless you are out there. Not wanting to miss the bus and have to take a taxi, we went outside around 11:15 with our suitcases and it was cold and windy. Around 11:30, other people showed up with their suitcases and the bus came about 11:40.
So to the airport and pretty much just a regular journey home except it kept getting lighter as we flew further south. Kind of weird. And good flight except we hit some unexpected turbulence and the plane seemed to drop out from under us for a few seconds. Probably dropped 100’ or more. Never had that happen and it got really rough for a bit and the plane slowed down and changed altitude. With everything happening in the world right now, that was rather scary but no harm, no foul and we made it to Oslo, made it home, and had wonderful stories and photos.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Snowshoeing - NOT!!
DAY 7, SATURDAY NOV 14 – SNOWSHOEING - NOT!
Today we are up around 8:30 ish. The dogs are up but they really don't bark and howl a lot but we can hear them. It has snowed some more and we feel a bit steadier on our feet with more of a snow cover than the aquaplaning of last night. However, we were going to do the snowshoeing today and they would have come around a bit after 10 to pick us up to continue up the valley to the area to snowshoe. It is a 3 ½ hour trip all around including transportation so I think that means it’s about a 2 ½ hour hike all told on the snowshoes after you get there, get back, get your shoes and some learning lessons. We had wanted to do this but the knot on the back of my head is still humongous and still quite painful to touch and I still have a headache and my knee is not happy. We talk to Runa about it and she says she will call and tell them we don’t want to go
. Feel very stupid for pulling out but not sure I can do it. My husband kept watching my eyes last night to make sure my pupils were good and not doing anything that might be a concussion so I think I’m lucky that I didn’t get that or break anything but the head sure does hurt.
So breakfast of some cheese and bread and coffee and then Runa will drive us back to the hotel. Naturally, we know that we will not have a room ready for us but we can sit and do some writing and some reading and just relax today. Runa thought that the duvets we had might not have been warm enough but they were great. Just normally they are too hot for us. Not out there. So goodbye to the dogs and back to town. On the way, we pass about 3 or 4 reindeer grazing next to the road. We can barely see them because it is snowing and blowing.
Back at the hotel, we settle in to read and write and relax. Have to get some of our stuff out of the storage unit. A lot of people are coming in and checking into the hotel for the weekend. You can come from Tromso for very little money and if you have miles then you can practically come for free. The people from last night had all made a free trip for the weekend. I finally go and ask if for sure we will have the same room and she says no because they had not looked to see that we had already been here so assigned us a room on the second floor
. Poo. Didn’t want to climb the steps.
Finally our room is ready and we drag everything upstairs although the front desk carried my suitcases. How kind. The room we got this time was so much nicer than our first room and so much larger! It had the bunk bed singles on both and another bed on a raised platform with a table and chairs and three windows that overlooked the main pedestrian street. So much nicer. Guess it was a good thing they gave our room after all.
We thought we should take a walk and wanted to go look at the church . Maybe we’ll see some reindeer and can get a photo. We stop in the mall to get hotdogs for lunch and then go out the back door of the mall which is closer to the way to go to cross the river and get up to the church. It is a long convoluted way around there.
We are walking, walking, walking and very little traffic. Maybe every 5 minutes or so we’ll see a car go by and maybe every 5-10 minutes, we’ll see a person and oddly enough, usually it is a woman with a baby carriage walking somewhere. Their baby carriages are huge prams and always have a lot of reflective tape around them
. We are within the "pink" zone where it is safe to walk but we’ve been listening all week to stories of polar bears coming into town and it is quite spooky to walk up above the town and be in the dark and by yourself and in the cold. Kind of spooked myself several times.
We get to the church and get in the bottom door and take off everything practically to get down to just our clothes and socks on our feet. We climb up the spiral stairs and the church has an attached church/lounge area that takes up most of the upper level. And in the lounge area is a large stuffed polar bear. Wow, first church I’ve seen with a stuffed polar bear in it. Maybe there are some in Canada or Alaska that have them as well but haven’t been in one yet. It’s a small church otherwise and not widely decorated like some so we don’t spend a lot of time there.
We hear one other person going up the stairs to the third floor but we don’t see anyone so back down and everything back on and back outside. We are going to try and find the cemetery and take a photo but we get to the point where we can go back to town or continue along the road to get closer to the far corner where the pink zone ends. We choose to skip the cemetery photo and go back to town
.
Had some time so looked at all the Masai jewelry they have there. Basecamp is also situated in Kenya and employs 180 women, I think she said, in making jewelry and bracelets and belts and keychains and such. 80% goes to the women and 20% goes to get new supplies. It is all nice stuff – beaded stuff. I find a nice goat hide and beaded bracelet and then my husband says why do I always buy my own stuff because then he can’t buy me anything. Not sure how he is going to do it when we are always traveling together like this. We are almost joined at the hips so how can he buy something. The front desk puts my name on the bracelet I like and puts it in an envelope just in case he can come down and get it later to surprise me – yea right.
We’ve eaten dinner several times at Kroa which is connected to the hotel strictly because it is so convenient. We’ve eaten a couple of times at Svalbard Bar which is across the way so also convenient but thought we would try something nicer so get a reservation at Spitsbergen Hotel which is supposedly the nicest hotel in the town. We’ll go tomorrow night. Might have gone to Huset but we already had their specialty of reindeer stew at the trappers lodge so no need to go now.
Today we are up around 8:30 ish. The dogs are up but they really don't bark and howl a lot but we can hear them. It has snowed some more and we feel a bit steadier on our feet with more of a snow cover than the aquaplaning of last night. However, we were going to do the snowshoeing today and they would have come around a bit after 10 to pick us up to continue up the valley to the area to snowshoe. It is a 3 ½ hour trip all around including transportation so I think that means it’s about a 2 ½ hour hike all told on the snowshoes after you get there, get back, get your shoes and some learning lessons. We had wanted to do this but the knot on the back of my head is still humongous and still quite painful to touch and I still have a headache and my knee is not happy. We talk to Runa about it and she says she will call and tell them we don’t want to go
. Feel very stupid for pulling out but not sure I can do it. My husband kept watching my eyes last night to make sure my pupils were good and not doing anything that might be a concussion so I think I’m lucky that I didn’t get that or break anything but the head sure does hurt.
So breakfast of some cheese and bread and coffee and then Runa will drive us back to the hotel. Naturally, we know that we will not have a room ready for us but we can sit and do some writing and some reading and just relax today. Runa thought that the duvets we had might not have been warm enough but they were great. Just normally they are too hot for us. Not out there. So goodbye to the dogs and back to town. On the way, we pass about 3 or 4 reindeer grazing next to the road. We can barely see them because it is snowing and blowing.
Back at the hotel, we settle in to read and write and relax. Have to get some of our stuff out of the storage unit. A lot of people are coming in and checking into the hotel for the weekend. You can come from Tromso for very little money and if you have miles then you can practically come for free. The people from last night had all made a free trip for the weekend. I finally go and ask if for sure we will have the same room and she says no because they had not looked to see that we had already been here so assigned us a room on the second floor
. Poo. Didn’t want to climb the steps.
Finally our room is ready and we drag everything upstairs although the front desk carried my suitcases. How kind. The room we got this time was so much nicer than our first room and so much larger! It had the bunk bed singles on both and another bed on a raised platform with a table and chairs and three windows that overlooked the main pedestrian street. So much nicer. Guess it was a good thing they gave our room after all.
We thought we should take a walk and wanted to go look at the church . Maybe we’ll see some reindeer and can get a photo. We stop in the mall to get hotdogs for lunch and then go out the back door of the mall which is closer to the way to go to cross the river and get up to the church. It is a long convoluted way around there.
We are walking, walking, walking and very little traffic. Maybe every 5 minutes or so we’ll see a car go by and maybe every 5-10 minutes, we’ll see a person and oddly enough, usually it is a woman with a baby carriage walking somewhere. Their baby carriages are huge prams and always have a lot of reflective tape around them
. We are within the "pink" zone where it is safe to walk but we’ve been listening all week to stories of polar bears coming into town and it is quite spooky to walk up above the town and be in the dark and by yourself and in the cold. Kind of spooked myself several times.
We get to the church and get in the bottom door and take off everything practically to get down to just our clothes and socks on our feet. We climb up the spiral stairs and the church has an attached church/lounge area that takes up most of the upper level. And in the lounge area is a large stuffed polar bear. Wow, first church I’ve seen with a stuffed polar bear in it. Maybe there are some in Canada or Alaska that have them as well but haven’t been in one yet. It’s a small church otherwise and not widely decorated like some so we don’t spend a lot of time there.
We hear one other person going up the stairs to the third floor but we don’t see anyone so back down and everything back on and back outside. We are going to try and find the cemetery and take a photo but we get to the point where we can go back to town or continue along the road to get closer to the far corner where the pink zone ends. We choose to skip the cemetery photo and go back to town
.
Had some time so looked at all the Masai jewelry they have there. Basecamp is also situated in Kenya and employs 180 women, I think she said, in making jewelry and bracelets and belts and keychains and such. 80% goes to the women and 20% goes to get new supplies. It is all nice stuff – beaded stuff. I find a nice goat hide and beaded bracelet and then my husband says why do I always buy my own stuff because then he can’t buy me anything. Not sure how he is going to do it when we are always traveling together like this. We are almost joined at the hips so how can he buy something. The front desk puts my name on the bracelet I like and puts it in an envelope just in case he can come down and get it later to surprise me – yea right.
We’ve eaten dinner several times at Kroa which is connected to the hotel strictly because it is so convenient. We’ve eaten a couple of times at Svalbard Bar which is across the way so also convenient but thought we would try something nicer so get a reservation at Spitsbergen Hotel which is supposedly the nicest hotel in the town. We’ll go tomorrow night. Might have gone to Huset but we already had their specialty of reindeer stew at the trappers lodge so no need to go now.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Trapper's Lodge
DAY 6 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13 – LOOSE DAY THEN TO TRAPPERS LODGE
Up at 8:30 so we have time to pack. We are supposed to be out by 11 but they said we could wait until 12. My phone didn't charge so having to wait for that then we’ll go sit in the dining room or walk around town a bit. Not much to do today except wait for the evening. As my watch is now broke, hard to tell what time it is at any point. The index for lights last night was down. There are services that predict when you might see the Northern Lights and have some kind of index number to tell if it will be a good time to see lights or not. There are even apps for phones that show the Northern Light activity. Pretty cool. We went out on the front porch several times but didn’t see anything. A rowdy group of 4 were going to get a taxi and go somewhere the viewing might be better but don’t think they would see anything
. Hopefully we will see some tonight or tomorrow.
When it came time for lunch, or maybe a bit before, we went out and walked around. Just walking gingerly. We now have the reflective light bands on one side of our jacket and when we were out walking yesterday, a man pulled up in a car and gave us reflective bands to put around our arms. They just unroll and snap on so kind of hard to keep mine on all the time and it flips off but a really good thing and I don’t want to lose it. Can see that these are needed and so many tourists are walking around without reflective lights but the kids all wear hi vis jackets or these light bands and many of the adults do as well.
Finally went to the mall again for another hot dog. It was really good yesterday but not quite as good today so think we are done with the hot dogs. I looked for another T shirt but guess I don’t really need one so maybe I’ll pass.
Walked around a bit more in the dark and tried to take a few photos and look for reindeer but not really much to do so back to the hotel where we read for a while until it was time to put on our boots and wait for the maxi taxi. There have been a lot of people coming and checking into the hotel and most of them are coming for the weekend only. A lot of people come on SAS with their miles and pay almost nothing to get here. As such, they forgot to keep our room open so when we come back, we will be upstairs. Bummer
Our maxi taxi comes and we are the only ones in it until he goes around to Svalbard hotel and picks up 5 more people
. We drive out of town and stop to get a photo of the polar bear sign. It is getting quite windy. Then we drive out to mine #7 which is where we were for the dog sledding. He can’t go up quite that high as it is starting to snow on the roads so he turns and we stop above the Basecamp dogyard and take photos of the dogs. Then we head through town where he explains a bunch of things like no buildings are set on the ground. They are all built up from the permafrost because if they sat on the permafrost, it would melt it and then the building would sink a bit. We think he told us the permafrost is 300 meters or feet deep so buildings drill into it for a base and then are built on piles. The town is run by coal and has hot water and electrical pipes all on top of the ground as well as the waste water pipes. We asked our overnight guide about the waste and she says everything is sorted carefully and things that can be burned are burned here but recyclables are taken back to the mainland and glass is smashed and put in a pit somewhere here and garbage goes through waste disposals and out with the waste water.
Our maxi taxi guide then takes us to the other side of town and up by the seed vault which is quite interesting. It has millions of seeds from many, many countries, nothing genetically modified but good natural seed stock so in case of apocalypse, people will have something to start using again to grow food
. Nothing animal in there. Apparently many countries have their own seed vaults but this one is global. See my blog from yesterday for Wikipedia information on the seed vault.
There was a seed vault also in Syria but since their war, it was emptied. Also since their war, Syria took their seed stock out of this bank and moved it to several different places. The temperature inside is kept at -18. The door is a light mosaic which looked rather lovely in the dark but couldn’t get a photo. People are not allowed in as tourists or anything but our overnight guide at the Trapper’s Lodge was lucky enough to get in once and saw that North Korea’s boxes were their lovely handcrafted red decorated boxes and the USA boxes were cardboard.
When we were close, my husband saw some northern lights out the window so we stopped and got out and took some photos. They came out ok without a tripod but still not optimal.
Hopefully we will go back up that way to do the mine tour on Sunday. Our maxi taxi also took us past the administration building and police station. There are 7 policemen and they investigate any polar bear shootings and such. This is the only place where polar bears are completely protected. There are about 3 shootings a year or less and each one is investigated and can only be in self-defense of a person, not property or dogs. And you have to try and discourage the bear and make it leave. Two incidents were when a bear broke out the window of a house and was coming inside. The people threw a large chair at it and still didn’t discourage it so the man shot it
. The police ruled in his favor. Another was a couple of photographers and snow mobilers way out in the wilderness and kept trying to discourage the bear from coming and finally shot it at 18’ away. So also ruled in their favor.
The maxi taxi also went by the northern most church so we will try and visit it. The cultural center does have movies but also concerts and many other things. Not sure a song concert or movie would be good unless it is in English and that isn’t likely.
Got back from our maxi taxi and just sat and waited for our pick up for the trappers night. We were waiting when she told us it was ready and there were 6 others going just for dinner. We packed into the taxi, driven by a Malaysian, and he drove us out to Basecamp dogyard. We all hoped out and the others will go back to town at 10. It is snowing and spitting now and the wind is picking up. Our guide asked if we wanted to put our stuff in our cabin so we were walking on the ice with a small layer of snow over it and I slipped and went down on my ass and knocked my head against the ice. Now I have a big knot on the back of my head and a headache. Also think I twisted my knee a bit. Sure did hurt.
We gingerly walk to the cabin then and put our stuff in it. There is no power but candles and a stove which she fires up to warm the cabin. It burns wood which is imported on pallets because there are no trees on Svalbard at all. (and yet there are many fossils of tropical plants and animals in the permafrost and the coal and rocks)
Back to the main cabin near the dog yard and the toilet is in a small building next to that cabin which means middle of the night, we are going to have to walk back here. We pass some hanging seals. The trappers would build these very tall tower-like structures to hang their catch. Since a full grown polar bear can stand 9 or 10’ tall, they would have to be much higher. And polar bears are smart and used to work on finding ways to catch the seals or bring down the hanging things to get at the catches. Apparently there are tales of polar bears inching up the towers between two poles in order to reach the hanging seals. The seals hanging here are about 3 years old so no bears are interested in them. The dogs also have a special bark for the bears which is low and loud so we will be listening for that all night.
Into the cabin for dinner. This is catered by Huset which is the best rated restaurant here and we had reindeer stew and mashed potatoes with some berries to put on it and sour cream plus pickled cucumbers
. It was delicious. There was also homemade bread and we each had 2 units of alcohol free. Hubby had a beer and some local cognac which isn’t really local and I had red wine. Apparently Huset also has a huge wine cellar and also sends wine all over the place. Think we might want to eat there again which will be expensive I’m sure. The other guests were all Norwegian but they graciously all spoke English for the evening which was quite nice of them.
Our guide, Runa, has lots of stories of the dogs and bears and such. We enjoyed listening to her and I’ve already related a few of the stories. Will try and relate more as I remember them. Our maxi taxi man also said that sometimes he finds people out during polar dark who have had too much to drink so he picks them up and takes them home then goes back the next day to get paid. Anyone falling or passing out at night during Polar Night will probably be very "Polar Dead" the next day.
After dinner, we went into the dogyard to meet the dogs. Girls on one side and boys on the other. Plus there were some puppies at the back. For some reason, it seems like they kill a lot of puppies because they just have too many dogs or they have no plans for them and are trying to get a breeding program going and if the dogs haven’t been the right mix then they put them down
. Don’t think I could do that. Plus people who leave, give their dogs away and such so there usually aren’t a lot of pups I guess. These were so cute.
We walked around most of the yard and met most of the dogs. The males could knock me over when they jumped up on me to greet me but they are all so friendly. Many were in their boxes and didn’t want to come out but would if you stood out there and called them because they like a cuddle. Yet we also heard that many of the dogs will sleep out in the snow and be totally covered up by snow because it provides an insulation for them. We have heard that often the keepers come in the morning and there are only mounds of snow in the yard until they call the dogs then the dogs bound out of the snow to greet them.
Back inside for our dessert and coffee or tea if we want it. The dogs start a “midnight howl” like in 101 Dalmatians. One dog yard starts and the other dog yards take it up until howls are echoing across the valley. Better than deep gruff barking trying to make themselves appear bigger to a polar bear.
Runa, our hostess told us tales of people around
. There are officially 2 trappers in the country at the moment. One is either 79 or 80 and has been trapping for 40 years so he has the record. Obviously a bit of a man with a love of self and loathe of town and civilization. She said when his extended family came last year for his birthday, including helicoptering out to where he lives, he was glad to see them but after an hour told them he was done and time for them to leave. Likewise when a couple of kayakers stopped and asked if they could camp there, he said sure except he didn’t want to see them so they had to go on.
There are a lot of cruise ships stopping in the summer so the town is building three new hotels. Also, things like wood for stoves and fireplaces has to be shipped into the country on pallets because there are no trees on Svalbard anymore. But there used to be trees. The town is named after John Munro Longyear, an American who came and opened up the first mine but later sold it to the Norwegian company that still mines #7. If they shut down #7, they will have to build up the tourism even more.
Here we go with Wikipedia again with some more history of Longyearbyen and such:
“””””””Longyearbyen (lit
. Longyear City) is the largest settlement and the administrative center of Svalbard, Norway. As of 2008, the town had a population of 2,040. Longyearbyen is located in the valley of Longyeardalen and on the shore of Adventfjorden, a bay of Isfjorden located on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Since 2002, Longyearbyen Community Council has had many of the same responsibilities of a municipality, including utilities, education, cultural facilities, fire department, roads and ports. The town is the seat of the Governor of Svalbard. It is the world's northernmost settlement of any kind with greater than 1,000 permanent residents.
Known as Longyear City until 1926, the town was established by and named after John Munro Longyear, whose Arctic Coal Company started coal mining operations in 1906. Operations were taken over by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK) in 1916, which still conducts mining. The town was almost completely destroyed by the German Kriegsmarine on 8 August 1943, but was rebuilt after the Second World War. Traditionally, Longyearbyen was a company town, but most mining operations have moved to Sveagruva since the 1990s, while the town has seen a large increase in tourism and research. This has seen the arrival of institutions such as the University Centre in Svalbard, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and Svalbard Satellite Station. The community is served by Svalbard Airport, Longyear and Svalbard Church
.
Longyear City in 1908
Summer 1925 at Longyearbyen.
In 1896, Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab started tours to Hotellneset. To accommodate tourists, they built a prefabricated hotel, but it was not profitable and was closed after the 1897 season. However, two families overwintered in 1898–99[1] and Norway Post operated a post office at Hotellneset from 1897 to 1899.[2] The first commercially viable coal on Svalbard was harvested by Søren Zakariassen in 1899.[3] In 1901, Bergen-Spitsbergen Kullgrube-kompani started mining coal in Adventtoppen.[4]
The American industrialist John Munroe Longyear visited Spitsbergen as a tourist in 1901, where he met with an expedition prospecting for coal. He returned to Spitsbergen 1903, where he met Henrik B. Næss in Adventfjorden, who gave him samples and information on coal fields. Along with his associate Frederick Ayer, Longyear bought the Norwegian claims on the west side of Adventfjorden, and expanded the claims significantly the following year. In 1906, the Boston-based Arctic Coal Company, with Ayer and Longyear as the main shareholders, started mining in Mine 1a, after having built docks and housing.[5] The company had American administration, but mostly Norwegian laborers, and named the town Longyear City.[4] Coal was transported the 1.2 kilometers (0.75 mi) from the mine to the port using an aerial tramway.[6] In 1913, the company started preliminary work to open Mine 2a.[7]
Mine 2b was mined from 1938 to 1969 and today it is a heritage site
Following financial difficulties during the First World War,[4] the mining operations were bought by Store Norske, which was incorporated in Oslo on 30 November 1916.[8] That year, SNSK built five new barracks, including one that was made into a hospital.[9] SNSK introduced its own money with approval from Norges Bank, consisting entirely of banknotes at par with Norwegian krone.[10] The American community buried their dead at Hotellneset. In 1918, eleven people were killed by the Spanish flu and a graveyard was established in Longyear City.[11] Two years later, 26 men were killed in a coal dust explosion in Mine 1. This resulted in the mine being closed[4] and electric operation being taken into use in Mine 2.[7] The same year, the first truck was delivered for use in the mining operations.[12]
The Church of Norway appointed Thorleif Østenstad as Svalbard's first vicar and teacher in 1920.[13] A school was established as a cooperation between the church and SNSK and had an inaugural eight pupils.[14] The first Svalbard Church opened on 28 August 1921,[13] and the church's reading room was from then used as a school.[14] Longyear City was renamed Longyearbyen in 1926.[15]
The Norwegian Telecommunications Administration established a coast radio station, Svalbard Radio, at Finneset in 1911, which was moved to Longyearbyen in 1930.[16] The town's tourist industry started in 1935, when SS Lyngen started calling regularly during the summer season.[17] In 1937, SNSK established Sverdrupbyen to house workers for Mine 1b and operation of the mine started in 1939.[18] In 1938, Longyearbyen's first road was completed, between the town center and Sverdrupbyen.[19] Operations at Mine 2b, a different entrance to Mine 2a, started in 1939.[7]
The old power station, one of a handful buildings which survived the Second World War, and the cable center
Svalbard remained unaffected by the German occupation of Norway in 1940. However, from 1941 the achipelago became of strategic importance in the supply chain between the Allied powers, as well as a source of badly needed coal. The Norwegian government-in-exile rejected a Soviet–British occupation;[20] instead the British Army started Operation Gauntlet to evacuate Spitsbergen. On 29 August 1941, the entire population of Ny-Ålesund was evacuated to Longyearbyen, and on 3 September 765 people were evacuated from Longyearbyen to Scotland. Later the last 150 men were also evacuated.[21] With Longyearbyen depopulated, a small German garrison and air strip was established in Adventdalen, mostly to provide meteorological data. After the British Operation Fritham regained control of Barentsburg, the German forces left Longyearbyen without combat.[22]
In September 1943, the Kriegsmarine dispatched two battleships, Tirpitz and Scharnhorst, and nine destroyers to bombard Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Grumant.[22] Only four buildings in Longyearben survived: the hospital, the power station, an office building and a residential building, in addition to Sverdrupbyen. Longyearbyen remained unsettled until the end of the war, with the first ship from the mainland leaving on 27 June 1945.[23]
Post-World War II[edit]
Plans were laid during the war to ensure a quick reconstruction and commencing of mining. By 1948, coal production reached the pre-war level of 480,000 tonnes (470,000 long tons; 530,000 short tons) per year.[24] Nybyen was established in 1946 and consisted of five barracks, each housing 72 people.[25] The first issue of Svalbardposten was published in November 1948. Until then, there had irregularly been published various wall newspapers.[26] In 1949, Longyearbyen received telephone service with the mainland via a radio connection between Svalbard Radio and Harstad.[16] In 1949, a farm was built in Longyearbyen to hold cattle for milk, pigs and hens.[27] A local radio station started broadcasting in 1950.[28] The burial ground remained in use until 1950, seeing 44 people buried.[29] However, it was discovered that the bodies were failing to decompose because of the permafrost. Bodies have since been sent to the mainland for burial.[30] The community center Huset opened in 1951.[31]
Mining in Mine 1b was terminated in 1958,[7] but operation in Mine 5 started the following year. Preliminary work on Mine 4 started in 1954, and from 1960 it was used as a reserve mine.[32] The Norwegian Air Force started serving Longyearbyen with postal flights in the 1950s. In 1959, a man fell seriously ill, so a landing strip was prepared in Adventdalen. From the same year, Braathens SAFE started serving the tundra airport with irregular winter flights.[33] In 1957, a principal was hired at the primary school and a new church was opened on 24 August 1958.[13] From 1961, the primary school was supplemented by a private middle school.[14] A branch of Tromsø Sparebank opened in 1959.[34]
In the 1960s, the town's farm was closed and replaced by industrial liquifying of powdered milk.[35] The first serial-produced snowmobile was taken into use in 1961. By 1969, there were 140 registered snowmobiles and only 33 registered cars.[12] From 1962 to 1984, a recreational center was run at Sverdrupbyen.[18] Ordinary operation in Mine 4 started in 1966 but was terminated by 1970,[32] two years after Mine 2b closed.[7] Operations in Mine 6 commenced in 1969.[32] Television broadcasting equipment was installed in 1969, with the schedule of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation being aired with a two-week delay.[28]
In 1971, a new school building, with a combined primary and lower secondary school, was opened, along with a new gymnasium and a 12.5-meter (41 ft) swimming pool.[14] The Svalbard Council was established on 1 November 1971. It consisted of 17 non-partisan members which were elected or appointed in three different groups—SNSK employees, government employees and others, although the ratio changed several times.[36] Operations of Mine 3 started in March 1971[7] and operations in Mine 7 commenced the following year.[32] In 1973, the Ministry of Trade and Industry bought a third of SNSK. It continued buying additional shares until reaching a 99.94 percent ownership in 1976.[37] The airport was opened in 1975 and initially provided four weekly services to mainland Norway and semi-weekly services to Russia.[38] In 1978, the community received satellite communications with the mainland.[28] The same year, an upper secondary program was introduced at the public school.[14] From 1984, television programs were broadcast live via satellite.[28]
The University Centre in Svalbard
Store Norske underwent a gradual change during the 1980s. Since 1980, Spitsbergen money has been taken out of circulation and replaced with ordinary Norwegian currency.[10] Mine 6 closed the following year.[32] From 1982, SNSK permitted private individuals to own and operate cars. By 1990, there were 353 registered cars and 883 snowscooters.[39] On 1 July 1983, SNSK moved its head office from Bergen to Longyearbyen.[8] Svalbard Samfunnsdrift (SSD), a limited company which was responsible for public infrastructure and services, was established by SNSK on 1 January 1989. Responsibilities included healthcare, the fire department, the kindergarten, roads, garbage disposal, power production, the water and sewer system, the cinema, cultural actives and the library. Ownership was taken over by the Ministry of Trade and Industry on 1 January 1993.[40]
During the 1990s, the authorities started a process to "normalize" Longyearbyen by abolishing the company town scheme and introducing a full range of services, a varied economy and local democracy.[41] Commercial enterprises included a shopping mall replacing SNSK's provision store in 1992.[42] Similarly, Esso opened a commercial fuel station in 1994.[39] The Svalbard Council changed its regulations from 1993 and allowed parties to run for election.[43] In a step to increase tourism, Svalbard Polar Hotel opened in 1995,[44] and a year later mining of Mine 3 terminated.[7] Longyearbyen Community Council was established in 2002, replacing the Svalbard Council and assimilating SSD, and took on many of the responsibilities and the structure of a municipality.[37]
This period also saw the rise of a number of scientific establishments. The Agricultural University of Norway had established a primitive seed bank in 1984.[45] The University Centre in Svalbard opened on 6 September 1993 and had 30 students in its inaugural semester.[46] Telenor Mobil established GSM coverage in 1995,[47] and in 2004 the Svalbard Undersea Cable System opened, providing fiber optic cable connection to the mainland.[48] The European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) opened a radar in 1996,[49] followed by Svalbard Satellite Station in 1999[50] and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008.[51]
Geography[edit]
View of the central parts of Longyearbyen from Platåberget. The body of water is Adventfjorden while the valley up to the right is Adventdalen.
Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard, is located in the lower portion of the valley of Longyeardalen, along the river of Longyearelva. The lower parts of the town lie along the southwestern shore of the bay of Adventfjorden, a 7 by 4 kilometers (4.3 by 2.5 mi) branch of Isfjorden.[52] Longyearbyen is on the Nordenskiöld Land peninsula of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago.[5] It is the world's northern-most town, with all settlements further north being research or meteorological outposts.[53] Across the bay lie the ghost towns of Advent City[54] and Hiorthhamn.[52]
Longyearbyen is divided into several neighborhoods. On the west side of the river, along the bay, lies the port and affiliated utility and industrial services. The western part of this area is called Bykaia and the eastern part Sjøområdet. Above lies Skjæringa, the site of the Governor's offices. Slightly up the valley on the west side lies Gamle Longyearbyen ("Old Longyearbyen") and the church. Even further up lies the graveyard, then Huset and the cinema, and finally Sverdrupbyen. Most of the residential, commercial and cultural institutions are located on the east side of the river. Along the bay the area is called Sjøskrenten. Further up lies the university center and Gruvedalen, the largest residential area. Southwards from there is the main shopping area as well as the town hall. To the east is the residential area Lia and further up Haugen, which is also the location of the school. Furthest up in the valley is Mine 2b and Nybyen, which is mostly used as student housing. Westwards out of town towards Hotellneset is the airport and Mine 3. The remaining mines are located in Adventdalen, to the east of town.[55]
Climate[edit]
Svalbard's climate is a combination of an Arctic climate (Köppen: ET) tempered by the North Atlantic Current. Nordenskiöld Land is the warmest and wettest part of the archipelago, caused by the convergence of mild and humid air from the south and cold air from the north. Average summer highs are typically 3 to 7 °C (37 to 45 °F) while average winter highs are −11 to −13 °C (12 to 9 °F).[56] Longyearbyen experiences midnight sun from 19 April through 23 August, polar night from 27 October through 14 February and civil polar night from 14 November through 29 January. However, due to shading from mountains, the sun is not visible in Longyearbyen until around 8 March.[57] Snow typically covers the town from November through March. The warmest temperature ever record in Longyearbyen was 21.3 °C (70.3 °F) in July 1979 and the coldest was −46.3 °C (−51.3 °F) in March 1986.
As of 2008, Longyearbyen had a population of 2,040 people.[61] The largest regional group of Norwegians are from Northern Norway, particularly Nordland and Troms, which make more than 40 percent of the population.[62] Roughly 300 people (16 percent) are non-Norwegian citizens, with the largest nationalities being from Thailand, Sweden, Russia and Ukraine.[61] Because of the dominance of the mining industry, the gender distribution is skewed with 60 percent of adults being males. Longyearbyen has an over-average share of its population between 25 and 44 years old, but nearly no residents over 66. The number of children in relation to the population is at the national average, but Longyearbyen has significantly fewer teenagers than the national average.[62]
Longyearbyen experiences a very high turnover; in 2008, 427 people (23 percent) moved away from the town.[61] The average person lived in Longyearbyen for 6.3 years, although it is 6.6 years for Norwegians and 4.3 years for foreigners. In 2009, about a quarter of the population had lived in the town since before 2000, and can thus be regarded as permanent population. The longest residing people tend to work in the mining industry, followed by local government employees. The shortest tenures are held by students and employees in higher education, tourism and the state.[62]
Seventy percent of households consist of a single person, compared to forty-one percent on the mainland, giving an average 1.6 people per household. The difference is largely caused by individuals working on Svalbard while their family remains on the mainland. Longyearbyen's population is more highly educated than the national average: 54 compared to 43 percent have upper secondary education and 30 compared to 26 percent have tertiary education. Among women, 40 percent have higher education.[62]
Politics and government[edit]
Longyearbyen Community Council has many of the same responsibilities of a municipality.[37] It is organized with a 15-member council which since 2011 has been led by Mayor Christin Kristoffersen of the Labour Party.[63] The council's main responsibilities are infrastructure and utilities, including power, land-use and community planning, education from kindergarten to upper secondary level and child welfare. It operates three kindergartens in addition to the 13-grade Longyearbyen School.[64]
No care or nursing services and welfare payments are available. Norwegian residents retain pension and medical rights through their mainland municipalities.[65] The University Hospital of North Norway operates a clinic, Longyearbyen Hospital.[37] Other public offices with presence on Longyearbyen are the Norwegian Directorate of Mining, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Tax Administration and the Church of Norway.[66] Longyearbyen is subordinate Nord-Troms District Court and Hålogaland Court of Appeal, both located in Tromsø.[67]
The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 established full Norwegian sovereignty over the archipelago. The treaty came into effect in 1925, following the Svalbard Act which established the institution of the Governor of Svalbard. He holds the responsibility as both county governor and chief of police, as well as holding other authority granted from the executive branch. Duties include environmental policy, family law, law enforcement, search and rescue, tourism management, information services, contact with foreign settlements, and judge in some areas of maritime inquiries and judicial examinations—albeit never in the same cases as acting as police.[66][68] Odd Olsen Ingerø has been governor since 2009;[69] he is assisted by a staff of 26 professionals. The institution is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and the Police, but reports to other ministries in matters within their portfolio.[70]
Upper part of Longyeardalen, with the buildings of Sverdrupbyen to the left, Huset to the right and an aerial tramway in the background
Because of the special treaty status of Svalbard, Longyearbyen is subject to Norwegian legislation, but citizens of any signatory country may conduct commercial activities and live in town.[71] However, people without a source of income can be rejected by the governor.[72] The treaty limits Norway's right to collect taxes to that of financing services on Svalbard. Therefore, Longyearbyen has a lower income tax than mainland Norway, and there is no value added tax. The treaty has resulted in Longyearbyen being a demilitarized zone[71] and is not part of the European Economic Area nor the Schengen Area like the rest of Norway.[73]
Culture[edit]
The community council runs a number of cultural activities, such as a cinema, a youth club, a library and a gallery.[74] The town's sports club is Svalbard Turn.[75] Svalbardhallen is an indoor sport center which includes a multi-sport hall large enough for handball or three badminton courts, a shooting range and a 25-meter (82 ft) swimming pool.[42] Svalbard Church of the Church of Norway has the entire archipelago as its parish. The congregational hall is 126 m2 (1,360 sq ft) while the sitting room is 112 m2 (1,210 sq ft). The church is built in half-timber.[13] Svalbardposten is a weekly newspaper published on Friday. Printing takes place in Tromsø and the majority of subscribers live on the mainland. Icepeople, an alternative newspaper in English, is also published weekly.[26] There are two museums in town, Svalbard Museum[76] and the Spitsbergen Airship Museum.[77] Dark Season Blues has been held annually in October since 2003.[78] 20 residents of the town are members of the Liverbirds Svalbard and regularly meet in the Svalbar on match days during the winter months.
Economy[edit]
The only mining still taking place in Longyearbyen is at Mine 7, located 15 kilometers (9 mi) up Adventdalen. It produces 70,000 tonnes (69,000 long tons; 77,000 short tons) of coal annually, of which 25,000 tonnes (25,000 long tons; 28,000 short tons) is used to fuel Longyear Power Station, Norway's only coal-fueled power station.[79] Most of Store Norske's production is done at Sveagruva, located on Van Mijenfjorden, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of Longyearbyen. No roads connect the communities;[80] instead, workers live in dormitories in Svea.[81] Seventy percent commute home to the mainland while thirty percent commute to Longyearbyen. Mining has not been profitable and Store Norske relies on state subsidies to retain production.[82]
The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) has 350 students and a permanent faculty of 40 professors and assistants and 120 guest lecturers. UNIS does not offer degrees, but instead offers semester courses in biology, physics and geology. Student housing is located at Nybyen. The college is part of the 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) Svalbard Science Centre, which also features the Norwegian Polar Institute, EISCAT and Svalbard Science Forum.[83] In 2006, about 9,000 research days were spent in Longyearbyen, most of which were by Norwegians. This made Longyearbyen the second-largest research outpost on Svalbard, marginally below Ny-Ålesund. In contrast, Longyearbyen has almost only Norwegian research, while Ny-Ålesund is roughly evenly split between Norwegian and foreign.[84]
The EISCAT radar
Svalbard Satellite Station was built because of Longyearbyen's excellent location to download data from satellites in polar orbit. Located at Platåberget above Hotellneset, it was built as a cooperation between NASA and the Norwegian Space Centre, but has since 2001 been operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services.[85] EISCAT operates an incoherent scatter radar to study the northern lights.[49] The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, administered by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is a secure underground facility capable of storing millions of crop seeds. The facility has been designed to protect against natural and human disasters, including global warming, floods and fires, and nuclear holocaust. The site was chosen for a number of factors including its remoteness, sound geology and the ambient temperature of the permafrost.[86]
Longyearbyen is the center of tourism on the archipelago, although most tourism is generated based on natural experiences rather than visiting the town itself. However, Longyearbyen does provide supplies, accommodation and several museums. In 2008, Longyearbyen experienced 89,000 guest-nights, up from 30,000 in 1995. The average guest stayed 2.2 nights and 60 percent of the capacity was used by tourists. About 40,000 tourists flew into Longyearbyen. Two-thirds of the tourists come from Norway. In 2007, the tourism industry had a revenue of NOK 291 million and produced 200 man-years.[87]
Transport[edit]
Until 1987, a series of aerial tramways were used to haul coal from the mines to the port
Longyearbyen has a road network stretching 50 kilometers (30 mi),[88] but the network does not extend to any other communities.[89] In 2008 there were 1,481 registered road vehicles and 49 percent of all households had a car.[88] Cars are registered with ZN on the license plates.[39] There is a single workshop, Svalbard Auto, which is also a Toyota dealer.[90]
Snowmobiles are a popular mode of transport and there are more snowmobiles than residents. In 2008 there were registered 2,672 snowmobiles and 69 percent of households owned at least one.[88] Off-road motorized transport is prohibited on bare ground, but snowmobiles are used extensively during winter—both for commercial and recreational activities. Transport from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg (45 km or 28 mi) and Pyramiden (100 km or 62 mi) is possible by snowmobile by winter, or by ship all year round.[89]
Svalbard Airport, Longyear is located at Hotellneset, 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) northwest of town. It has a 2,483-meter (8,146 ft) long runway and is the only airport which is permitted to serve aircraft from off the archipelago.[64][91] Scandinavian Airlines operates daily flights to Oslo and Tromsø,[92] while there are irregular flights to Russia. Lufttransport operates regular charter services to Svea Airport and Ny-Ålesund Airport, Hamnerabben. Arktikugol operates helicopters to Barentsburg and Pyramiden.[91] There are two quays in Longyearbyen, one for export of coal and one for general goods.[93] From 1907 to 1987, the mining companies operated a network of aerial tramways to transport coal from the mines to the port.[6] “”””””””
Anyway, the taxi came to take the others away and Runa went over to our trappers lodge and made the bed and made sure that the fire was burning. It had gone out so she used lighter fluid to get it started. Made it pretty hot in there actually. We went to the toilet and then over to the lodge and snugged in for the night. She was sleeping in the bigger cabin. A dog handler had been here already to feed the dogs. Normally, there is no one there at night.
Our fire went out sometime and of course that’s about when we had to get up and go to the toilet. Means put on the warm pants, the boots, and warm coat and gloves and hat and walk the 40 yards to the toilet. Sure was cold out and dark beyond the dog yard lights. The dogs were quiet but it was still a bit spooky.
When we came back, it was cold in the cabin and even though our duvets are keeping us plenty warm, we wanted a bit more heat. My husband tried to get a fire going but even with the lighter fluid, it wouldn’t catch so he was trying to chop small bits of wood off a larger log. Made me quite nervous that he was doing that with just a flashlight for light but he managed and got the fire going. Seemed like a recipe for disaster but he managed. Then we have to keep feet and arms out of the duvet until it cools down again.
Once more, we had to get up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Somehow the toilet shed had moved further away – a way long way away and it was darker, and colder, and spookier. I just said forget it and went around the cabin to pee there and my husband went the other way. Runa had suggested that we do this very thing. Very cold with the bare butt hanging out but very long way to the toilet.
Up at 8:30 so we have time to pack. We are supposed to be out by 11 but they said we could wait until 12. My phone didn't charge so having to wait for that then we’ll go sit in the dining room or walk around town a bit. Not much to do today except wait for the evening. As my watch is now broke, hard to tell what time it is at any point. The index for lights last night was down. There are services that predict when you might see the Northern Lights and have some kind of index number to tell if it will be a good time to see lights or not. There are even apps for phones that show the Northern Light activity. Pretty cool. We went out on the front porch several times but didn’t see anything. A rowdy group of 4 were going to get a taxi and go somewhere the viewing might be better but don’t think they would see anything
. Hopefully we will see some tonight or tomorrow.
When it came time for lunch, or maybe a bit before, we went out and walked around. Just walking gingerly. We now have the reflective light bands on one side of our jacket and when we were out walking yesterday, a man pulled up in a car and gave us reflective bands to put around our arms. They just unroll and snap on so kind of hard to keep mine on all the time and it flips off but a really good thing and I don’t want to lose it. Can see that these are needed and so many tourists are walking around without reflective lights but the kids all wear hi vis jackets or these light bands and many of the adults do as well.
Finally went to the mall again for another hot dog. It was really good yesterday but not quite as good today so think we are done with the hot dogs. I looked for another T shirt but guess I don’t really need one so maybe I’ll pass.
Walked around a bit more in the dark and tried to take a few photos and look for reindeer but not really much to do so back to the hotel where we read for a while until it was time to put on our boots and wait for the maxi taxi. There have been a lot of people coming and checking into the hotel and most of them are coming for the weekend only. A lot of people come on SAS with their miles and pay almost nothing to get here. As such, they forgot to keep our room open so when we come back, we will be upstairs. Bummer
Our maxi taxi comes and we are the only ones in it until he goes around to Svalbard hotel and picks up 5 more people
. We drive out of town and stop to get a photo of the polar bear sign. It is getting quite windy. Then we drive out to mine #7 which is where we were for the dog sledding. He can’t go up quite that high as it is starting to snow on the roads so he turns and we stop above the Basecamp dogyard and take photos of the dogs. Then we head through town where he explains a bunch of things like no buildings are set on the ground. They are all built up from the permafrost because if they sat on the permafrost, it would melt it and then the building would sink a bit. We think he told us the permafrost is 300 meters or feet deep so buildings drill into it for a base and then are built on piles. The town is run by coal and has hot water and electrical pipes all on top of the ground as well as the waste water pipes. We asked our overnight guide about the waste and she says everything is sorted carefully and things that can be burned are burned here but recyclables are taken back to the mainland and glass is smashed and put in a pit somewhere here and garbage goes through waste disposals and out with the waste water.
Our maxi taxi guide then takes us to the other side of town and up by the seed vault which is quite interesting. It has millions of seeds from many, many countries, nothing genetically modified but good natural seed stock so in case of apocalypse, people will have something to start using again to grow food
. Nothing animal in there. Apparently many countries have their own seed vaults but this one is global. See my blog from yesterday for Wikipedia information on the seed vault.
There was a seed vault also in Syria but since their war, it was emptied. Also since their war, Syria took their seed stock out of this bank and moved it to several different places. The temperature inside is kept at -18. The door is a light mosaic which looked rather lovely in the dark but couldn’t get a photo. People are not allowed in as tourists or anything but our overnight guide at the Trapper’s Lodge was lucky enough to get in once and saw that North Korea’s boxes were their lovely handcrafted red decorated boxes and the USA boxes were cardboard.
When we were close, my husband saw some northern lights out the window so we stopped and got out and took some photos. They came out ok without a tripod but still not optimal.
Hopefully we will go back up that way to do the mine tour on Sunday. Our maxi taxi also took us past the administration building and police station. There are 7 policemen and they investigate any polar bear shootings and such. This is the only place where polar bears are completely protected. There are about 3 shootings a year or less and each one is investigated and can only be in self-defense of a person, not property or dogs. And you have to try and discourage the bear and make it leave. Two incidents were when a bear broke out the window of a house and was coming inside. The people threw a large chair at it and still didn’t discourage it so the man shot it
. The police ruled in his favor. Another was a couple of photographers and snow mobilers way out in the wilderness and kept trying to discourage the bear from coming and finally shot it at 18’ away. So also ruled in their favor.
The maxi taxi also went by the northern most church so we will try and visit it. The cultural center does have movies but also concerts and many other things. Not sure a song concert or movie would be good unless it is in English and that isn’t likely.
Got back from our maxi taxi and just sat and waited for our pick up for the trappers night. We were waiting when she told us it was ready and there were 6 others going just for dinner. We packed into the taxi, driven by a Malaysian, and he drove us out to Basecamp dogyard. We all hoped out and the others will go back to town at 10. It is snowing and spitting now and the wind is picking up. Our guide asked if we wanted to put our stuff in our cabin so we were walking on the ice with a small layer of snow over it and I slipped and went down on my ass and knocked my head against the ice. Now I have a big knot on the back of my head and a headache. Also think I twisted my knee a bit. Sure did hurt.
We gingerly walk to the cabin then and put our stuff in it. There is no power but candles and a stove which she fires up to warm the cabin. It burns wood which is imported on pallets because there are no trees on Svalbard at all. (and yet there are many fossils of tropical plants and animals in the permafrost and the coal and rocks)
Back to the main cabin near the dog yard and the toilet is in a small building next to that cabin which means middle of the night, we are going to have to walk back here. We pass some hanging seals. The trappers would build these very tall tower-like structures to hang their catch. Since a full grown polar bear can stand 9 or 10’ tall, they would have to be much higher. And polar bears are smart and used to work on finding ways to catch the seals or bring down the hanging things to get at the catches. Apparently there are tales of polar bears inching up the towers between two poles in order to reach the hanging seals. The seals hanging here are about 3 years old so no bears are interested in them. The dogs also have a special bark for the bears which is low and loud so we will be listening for that all night.
Into the cabin for dinner. This is catered by Huset which is the best rated restaurant here and we had reindeer stew and mashed potatoes with some berries to put on it and sour cream plus pickled cucumbers
. It was delicious. There was also homemade bread and we each had 2 units of alcohol free. Hubby had a beer and some local cognac which isn’t really local and I had red wine. Apparently Huset also has a huge wine cellar and also sends wine all over the place. Think we might want to eat there again which will be expensive I’m sure. The other guests were all Norwegian but they graciously all spoke English for the evening which was quite nice of them.
Our guide, Runa, has lots of stories of the dogs and bears and such. We enjoyed listening to her and I’ve already related a few of the stories. Will try and relate more as I remember them. Our maxi taxi man also said that sometimes he finds people out during polar dark who have had too much to drink so he picks them up and takes them home then goes back the next day to get paid. Anyone falling or passing out at night during Polar Night will probably be very "Polar Dead" the next day.
After dinner, we went into the dogyard to meet the dogs. Girls on one side and boys on the other. Plus there were some puppies at the back. For some reason, it seems like they kill a lot of puppies because they just have too many dogs or they have no plans for them and are trying to get a breeding program going and if the dogs haven’t been the right mix then they put them down
. Don’t think I could do that. Plus people who leave, give their dogs away and such so there usually aren’t a lot of pups I guess. These were so cute.
We walked around most of the yard and met most of the dogs. The males could knock me over when they jumped up on me to greet me but they are all so friendly. Many were in their boxes and didn’t want to come out but would if you stood out there and called them because they like a cuddle. Yet we also heard that many of the dogs will sleep out in the snow and be totally covered up by snow because it provides an insulation for them. We have heard that often the keepers come in the morning and there are only mounds of snow in the yard until they call the dogs then the dogs bound out of the snow to greet them.
Back inside for our dessert and coffee or tea if we want it. The dogs start a “midnight howl” like in 101 Dalmatians. One dog yard starts and the other dog yards take it up until howls are echoing across the valley. Better than deep gruff barking trying to make themselves appear bigger to a polar bear.
Runa, our hostess told us tales of people around
. There are officially 2 trappers in the country at the moment. One is either 79 or 80 and has been trapping for 40 years so he has the record. Obviously a bit of a man with a love of self and loathe of town and civilization. She said when his extended family came last year for his birthday, including helicoptering out to where he lives, he was glad to see them but after an hour told them he was done and time for them to leave. Likewise when a couple of kayakers stopped and asked if they could camp there, he said sure except he didn’t want to see them so they had to go on.
There are a lot of cruise ships stopping in the summer so the town is building three new hotels. Also, things like wood for stoves and fireplaces has to be shipped into the country on pallets because there are no trees on Svalbard anymore. But there used to be trees. The town is named after John Munro Longyear, an American who came and opened up the first mine but later sold it to the Norwegian company that still mines #7. If they shut down #7, they will have to build up the tourism even more.
Here we go with Wikipedia again with some more history of Longyearbyen and such:
“””””””Longyearbyen (lit
. Longyear City) is the largest settlement and the administrative center of Svalbard, Norway. As of 2008, the town had a population of 2,040. Longyearbyen is located in the valley of Longyeardalen and on the shore of Adventfjorden, a bay of Isfjorden located on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Since 2002, Longyearbyen Community Council has had many of the same responsibilities of a municipality, including utilities, education, cultural facilities, fire department, roads and ports. The town is the seat of the Governor of Svalbard. It is the world's northernmost settlement of any kind with greater than 1,000 permanent residents.
Known as Longyear City until 1926, the town was established by and named after John Munro Longyear, whose Arctic Coal Company started coal mining operations in 1906. Operations were taken over by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK) in 1916, which still conducts mining. The town was almost completely destroyed by the German Kriegsmarine on 8 August 1943, but was rebuilt after the Second World War. Traditionally, Longyearbyen was a company town, but most mining operations have moved to Sveagruva since the 1990s, while the town has seen a large increase in tourism and research. This has seen the arrival of institutions such as the University Centre in Svalbard, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and Svalbard Satellite Station. The community is served by Svalbard Airport, Longyear and Svalbard Church
.
Longyear City in 1908
Summer 1925 at Longyearbyen.
In 1896, Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab started tours to Hotellneset. To accommodate tourists, they built a prefabricated hotel, but it was not profitable and was closed after the 1897 season. However, two families overwintered in 1898–99[1] and Norway Post operated a post office at Hotellneset from 1897 to 1899.[2] The first commercially viable coal on Svalbard was harvested by Søren Zakariassen in 1899.[3] In 1901, Bergen-Spitsbergen Kullgrube-kompani started mining coal in Adventtoppen.[4]
The American industrialist John Munroe Longyear visited Spitsbergen as a tourist in 1901, where he met with an expedition prospecting for coal. He returned to Spitsbergen 1903, where he met Henrik B. Næss in Adventfjorden, who gave him samples and information on coal fields. Along with his associate Frederick Ayer, Longyear bought the Norwegian claims on the west side of Adventfjorden, and expanded the claims significantly the following year. In 1906, the Boston-based Arctic Coal Company, with Ayer and Longyear as the main shareholders, started mining in Mine 1a, after having built docks and housing.[5] The company had American administration, but mostly Norwegian laborers, and named the town Longyear City.[4] Coal was transported the 1.2 kilometers (0.75 mi) from the mine to the port using an aerial tramway.[6] In 1913, the company started preliminary work to open Mine 2a.[7]
Mine 2b was mined from 1938 to 1969 and today it is a heritage site
Following financial difficulties during the First World War,[4] the mining operations were bought by Store Norske, which was incorporated in Oslo on 30 November 1916.[8] That year, SNSK built five new barracks, including one that was made into a hospital.[9] SNSK introduced its own money with approval from Norges Bank, consisting entirely of banknotes at par with Norwegian krone.[10] The American community buried their dead at Hotellneset. In 1918, eleven people were killed by the Spanish flu and a graveyard was established in Longyear City.[11] Two years later, 26 men were killed in a coal dust explosion in Mine 1. This resulted in the mine being closed[4] and electric operation being taken into use in Mine 2.[7] The same year, the first truck was delivered for use in the mining operations.[12]
The Church of Norway appointed Thorleif Østenstad as Svalbard's first vicar and teacher in 1920.[13] A school was established as a cooperation between the church and SNSK and had an inaugural eight pupils.[14] The first Svalbard Church opened on 28 August 1921,[13] and the church's reading room was from then used as a school.[14] Longyear City was renamed Longyearbyen in 1926.[15]
The Norwegian Telecommunications Administration established a coast radio station, Svalbard Radio, at Finneset in 1911, which was moved to Longyearbyen in 1930.[16] The town's tourist industry started in 1935, when SS Lyngen started calling regularly during the summer season.[17] In 1937, SNSK established Sverdrupbyen to house workers for Mine 1b and operation of the mine started in 1939.[18] In 1938, Longyearbyen's first road was completed, between the town center and Sverdrupbyen.[19] Operations at Mine 2b, a different entrance to Mine 2a, started in 1939.[7]
The old power station, one of a handful buildings which survived the Second World War, and the cable center
Svalbard remained unaffected by the German occupation of Norway in 1940. However, from 1941 the achipelago became of strategic importance in the supply chain between the Allied powers, as well as a source of badly needed coal. The Norwegian government-in-exile rejected a Soviet–British occupation;[20] instead the British Army started Operation Gauntlet to evacuate Spitsbergen. On 29 August 1941, the entire population of Ny-Ålesund was evacuated to Longyearbyen, and on 3 September 765 people were evacuated from Longyearbyen to Scotland. Later the last 150 men were also evacuated.[21] With Longyearbyen depopulated, a small German garrison and air strip was established in Adventdalen, mostly to provide meteorological data. After the British Operation Fritham regained control of Barentsburg, the German forces left Longyearbyen without combat.[22]
In September 1943, the Kriegsmarine dispatched two battleships, Tirpitz and Scharnhorst, and nine destroyers to bombard Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Grumant.[22] Only four buildings in Longyearben survived: the hospital, the power station, an office building and a residential building, in addition to Sverdrupbyen. Longyearbyen remained unsettled until the end of the war, with the first ship from the mainland leaving on 27 June 1945.[23]
Post-World War II[edit]
Plans were laid during the war to ensure a quick reconstruction and commencing of mining. By 1948, coal production reached the pre-war level of 480,000 tonnes (470,000 long tons; 530,000 short tons) per year.[24] Nybyen was established in 1946 and consisted of five barracks, each housing 72 people.[25] The first issue of Svalbardposten was published in November 1948. Until then, there had irregularly been published various wall newspapers.[26] In 1949, Longyearbyen received telephone service with the mainland via a radio connection between Svalbard Radio and Harstad.[16] In 1949, a farm was built in Longyearbyen to hold cattle for milk, pigs and hens.[27] A local radio station started broadcasting in 1950.[28] The burial ground remained in use until 1950, seeing 44 people buried.[29] However, it was discovered that the bodies were failing to decompose because of the permafrost. Bodies have since been sent to the mainland for burial.[30] The community center Huset opened in 1951.[31]
Mining in Mine 1b was terminated in 1958,[7] but operation in Mine 5 started the following year. Preliminary work on Mine 4 started in 1954, and from 1960 it was used as a reserve mine.[32] The Norwegian Air Force started serving Longyearbyen with postal flights in the 1950s. In 1959, a man fell seriously ill, so a landing strip was prepared in Adventdalen. From the same year, Braathens SAFE started serving the tundra airport with irregular winter flights.[33] In 1957, a principal was hired at the primary school and a new church was opened on 24 August 1958.[13] From 1961, the primary school was supplemented by a private middle school.[14] A branch of Tromsø Sparebank opened in 1959.[34]
In the 1960s, the town's farm was closed and replaced by industrial liquifying of powdered milk.[35] The first serial-produced snowmobile was taken into use in 1961. By 1969, there were 140 registered snowmobiles and only 33 registered cars.[12] From 1962 to 1984, a recreational center was run at Sverdrupbyen.[18] Ordinary operation in Mine 4 started in 1966 but was terminated by 1970,[32] two years after Mine 2b closed.[7] Operations in Mine 6 commenced in 1969.[32] Television broadcasting equipment was installed in 1969, with the schedule of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation being aired with a two-week delay.[28]
In 1971, a new school building, with a combined primary and lower secondary school, was opened, along with a new gymnasium and a 12.5-meter (41 ft) swimming pool.[14] The Svalbard Council was established on 1 November 1971. It consisted of 17 non-partisan members which were elected or appointed in three different groups—SNSK employees, government employees and others, although the ratio changed several times.[36] Operations of Mine 3 started in March 1971[7] and operations in Mine 7 commenced the following year.[32] In 1973, the Ministry of Trade and Industry bought a third of SNSK. It continued buying additional shares until reaching a 99.94 percent ownership in 1976.[37] The airport was opened in 1975 and initially provided four weekly services to mainland Norway and semi-weekly services to Russia.[38] In 1978, the community received satellite communications with the mainland.[28] The same year, an upper secondary program was introduced at the public school.[14] From 1984, television programs were broadcast live via satellite.[28]
The University Centre in Svalbard
Store Norske underwent a gradual change during the 1980s. Since 1980, Spitsbergen money has been taken out of circulation and replaced with ordinary Norwegian currency.[10] Mine 6 closed the following year.[32] From 1982, SNSK permitted private individuals to own and operate cars. By 1990, there were 353 registered cars and 883 snowscooters.[39] On 1 July 1983, SNSK moved its head office from Bergen to Longyearbyen.[8] Svalbard Samfunnsdrift (SSD), a limited company which was responsible for public infrastructure and services, was established by SNSK on 1 January 1989. Responsibilities included healthcare, the fire department, the kindergarten, roads, garbage disposal, power production, the water and sewer system, the cinema, cultural actives and the library. Ownership was taken over by the Ministry of Trade and Industry on 1 January 1993.[40]
During the 1990s, the authorities started a process to "normalize" Longyearbyen by abolishing the company town scheme and introducing a full range of services, a varied economy and local democracy.[41] Commercial enterprises included a shopping mall replacing SNSK's provision store in 1992.[42] Similarly, Esso opened a commercial fuel station in 1994.[39] The Svalbard Council changed its regulations from 1993 and allowed parties to run for election.[43] In a step to increase tourism, Svalbard Polar Hotel opened in 1995,[44] and a year later mining of Mine 3 terminated.[7] Longyearbyen Community Council was established in 2002, replacing the Svalbard Council and assimilating SSD, and took on many of the responsibilities and the structure of a municipality.[37]
This period also saw the rise of a number of scientific establishments. The Agricultural University of Norway had established a primitive seed bank in 1984.[45] The University Centre in Svalbard opened on 6 September 1993 and had 30 students in its inaugural semester.[46] Telenor Mobil established GSM coverage in 1995,[47] and in 2004 the Svalbard Undersea Cable System opened, providing fiber optic cable connection to the mainland.[48] The European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) opened a radar in 1996,[49] followed by Svalbard Satellite Station in 1999[50] and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008.[51]
Geography[edit]
View of the central parts of Longyearbyen from Platåberget. The body of water is Adventfjorden while the valley up to the right is Adventdalen.
Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard, is located in the lower portion of the valley of Longyeardalen, along the river of Longyearelva. The lower parts of the town lie along the southwestern shore of the bay of Adventfjorden, a 7 by 4 kilometers (4.3 by 2.5 mi) branch of Isfjorden.[52] Longyearbyen is on the Nordenskiöld Land peninsula of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago.[5] It is the world's northern-most town, with all settlements further north being research or meteorological outposts.[53] Across the bay lie the ghost towns of Advent City[54] and Hiorthhamn.[52]
Longyearbyen is divided into several neighborhoods. On the west side of the river, along the bay, lies the port and affiliated utility and industrial services. The western part of this area is called Bykaia and the eastern part Sjøområdet. Above lies Skjæringa, the site of the Governor's offices. Slightly up the valley on the west side lies Gamle Longyearbyen ("Old Longyearbyen") and the church. Even further up lies the graveyard, then Huset and the cinema, and finally Sverdrupbyen. Most of the residential, commercial and cultural institutions are located on the east side of the river. Along the bay the area is called Sjøskrenten. Further up lies the university center and Gruvedalen, the largest residential area. Southwards from there is the main shopping area as well as the town hall. To the east is the residential area Lia and further up Haugen, which is also the location of the school. Furthest up in the valley is Mine 2b and Nybyen, which is mostly used as student housing. Westwards out of town towards Hotellneset is the airport and Mine 3. The remaining mines are located in Adventdalen, to the east of town.[55]
Climate[edit]
Svalbard's climate is a combination of an Arctic climate (Köppen: ET) tempered by the North Atlantic Current. Nordenskiöld Land is the warmest and wettest part of the archipelago, caused by the convergence of mild and humid air from the south and cold air from the north. Average summer highs are typically 3 to 7 °C (37 to 45 °F) while average winter highs are −11 to −13 °C (12 to 9 °F).[56] Longyearbyen experiences midnight sun from 19 April through 23 August, polar night from 27 October through 14 February and civil polar night from 14 November through 29 January. However, due to shading from mountains, the sun is not visible in Longyearbyen until around 8 March.[57] Snow typically covers the town from November through March. The warmest temperature ever record in Longyearbyen was 21.3 °C (70.3 °F) in July 1979 and the coldest was −46.3 °C (−51.3 °F) in March 1986.
As of 2008, Longyearbyen had a population of 2,040 people.[61] The largest regional group of Norwegians are from Northern Norway, particularly Nordland and Troms, which make more than 40 percent of the population.[62] Roughly 300 people (16 percent) are non-Norwegian citizens, with the largest nationalities being from Thailand, Sweden, Russia and Ukraine.[61] Because of the dominance of the mining industry, the gender distribution is skewed with 60 percent of adults being males. Longyearbyen has an over-average share of its population between 25 and 44 years old, but nearly no residents over 66. The number of children in relation to the population is at the national average, but Longyearbyen has significantly fewer teenagers than the national average.[62]
Longyearbyen experiences a very high turnover; in 2008, 427 people (23 percent) moved away from the town.[61] The average person lived in Longyearbyen for 6.3 years, although it is 6.6 years for Norwegians and 4.3 years for foreigners. In 2009, about a quarter of the population had lived in the town since before 2000, and can thus be regarded as permanent population. The longest residing people tend to work in the mining industry, followed by local government employees. The shortest tenures are held by students and employees in higher education, tourism and the state.[62]
Seventy percent of households consist of a single person, compared to forty-one percent on the mainland, giving an average 1.6 people per household. The difference is largely caused by individuals working on Svalbard while their family remains on the mainland. Longyearbyen's population is more highly educated than the national average: 54 compared to 43 percent have upper secondary education and 30 compared to 26 percent have tertiary education. Among women, 40 percent have higher education.[62]
Politics and government[edit]
Longyearbyen Community Council has many of the same responsibilities of a municipality.[37] It is organized with a 15-member council which since 2011 has been led by Mayor Christin Kristoffersen of the Labour Party.[63] The council's main responsibilities are infrastructure and utilities, including power, land-use and community planning, education from kindergarten to upper secondary level and child welfare. It operates three kindergartens in addition to the 13-grade Longyearbyen School.[64]
No care or nursing services and welfare payments are available. Norwegian residents retain pension and medical rights through their mainland municipalities.[65] The University Hospital of North Norway operates a clinic, Longyearbyen Hospital.[37] Other public offices with presence on Longyearbyen are the Norwegian Directorate of Mining, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Tax Administration and the Church of Norway.[66] Longyearbyen is subordinate Nord-Troms District Court and Hålogaland Court of Appeal, both located in Tromsø.[67]
The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 established full Norwegian sovereignty over the archipelago. The treaty came into effect in 1925, following the Svalbard Act which established the institution of the Governor of Svalbard. He holds the responsibility as both county governor and chief of police, as well as holding other authority granted from the executive branch. Duties include environmental policy, family law, law enforcement, search and rescue, tourism management, information services, contact with foreign settlements, and judge in some areas of maritime inquiries and judicial examinations—albeit never in the same cases as acting as police.[66][68] Odd Olsen Ingerø has been governor since 2009;[69] he is assisted by a staff of 26 professionals. The institution is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and the Police, but reports to other ministries in matters within their portfolio.[70]
Upper part of Longyeardalen, with the buildings of Sverdrupbyen to the left, Huset to the right and an aerial tramway in the background
Because of the special treaty status of Svalbard, Longyearbyen is subject to Norwegian legislation, but citizens of any signatory country may conduct commercial activities and live in town.[71] However, people without a source of income can be rejected by the governor.[72] The treaty limits Norway's right to collect taxes to that of financing services on Svalbard. Therefore, Longyearbyen has a lower income tax than mainland Norway, and there is no value added tax. The treaty has resulted in Longyearbyen being a demilitarized zone[71] and is not part of the European Economic Area nor the Schengen Area like the rest of Norway.[73]
Culture[edit]
The community council runs a number of cultural activities, such as a cinema, a youth club, a library and a gallery.[74] The town's sports club is Svalbard Turn.[75] Svalbardhallen is an indoor sport center which includes a multi-sport hall large enough for handball or three badminton courts, a shooting range and a 25-meter (82 ft) swimming pool.[42] Svalbard Church of the Church of Norway has the entire archipelago as its parish. The congregational hall is 126 m2 (1,360 sq ft) while the sitting room is 112 m2 (1,210 sq ft). The church is built in half-timber.[13] Svalbardposten is a weekly newspaper published on Friday. Printing takes place in Tromsø and the majority of subscribers live on the mainland. Icepeople, an alternative newspaper in English, is also published weekly.[26] There are two museums in town, Svalbard Museum[76] and the Spitsbergen Airship Museum.[77] Dark Season Blues has been held annually in October since 2003.[78] 20 residents of the town are members of the Liverbirds Svalbard and regularly meet in the Svalbar on match days during the winter months.
Economy[edit]
The only mining still taking place in Longyearbyen is at Mine 7, located 15 kilometers (9 mi) up Adventdalen. It produces 70,000 tonnes (69,000 long tons; 77,000 short tons) of coal annually, of which 25,000 tonnes (25,000 long tons; 28,000 short tons) is used to fuel Longyear Power Station, Norway's only coal-fueled power station.[79] Most of Store Norske's production is done at Sveagruva, located on Van Mijenfjorden, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of Longyearbyen. No roads connect the communities;[80] instead, workers live in dormitories in Svea.[81] Seventy percent commute home to the mainland while thirty percent commute to Longyearbyen. Mining has not been profitable and Store Norske relies on state subsidies to retain production.[82]
The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) has 350 students and a permanent faculty of 40 professors and assistants and 120 guest lecturers. UNIS does not offer degrees, but instead offers semester courses in biology, physics and geology. Student housing is located at Nybyen. The college is part of the 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) Svalbard Science Centre, which also features the Norwegian Polar Institute, EISCAT and Svalbard Science Forum.[83] In 2006, about 9,000 research days were spent in Longyearbyen, most of which were by Norwegians. This made Longyearbyen the second-largest research outpost on Svalbard, marginally below Ny-Ålesund. In contrast, Longyearbyen has almost only Norwegian research, while Ny-Ålesund is roughly evenly split between Norwegian and foreign.[84]
The EISCAT radar
Svalbard Satellite Station was built because of Longyearbyen's excellent location to download data from satellites in polar orbit. Located at Platåberget above Hotellneset, it was built as a cooperation between NASA and the Norwegian Space Centre, but has since 2001 been operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services.[85] EISCAT operates an incoherent scatter radar to study the northern lights.[49] The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, administered by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is a secure underground facility capable of storing millions of crop seeds. The facility has been designed to protect against natural and human disasters, including global warming, floods and fires, and nuclear holocaust. The site was chosen for a number of factors including its remoteness, sound geology and the ambient temperature of the permafrost.[86]
Longyearbyen is the center of tourism on the archipelago, although most tourism is generated based on natural experiences rather than visiting the town itself. However, Longyearbyen does provide supplies, accommodation and several museums. In 2008, Longyearbyen experienced 89,000 guest-nights, up from 30,000 in 1995. The average guest stayed 2.2 nights and 60 percent of the capacity was used by tourists. About 40,000 tourists flew into Longyearbyen. Two-thirds of the tourists come from Norway. In 2007, the tourism industry had a revenue of NOK 291 million and produced 200 man-years.[87]
Transport[edit]
Until 1987, a series of aerial tramways were used to haul coal from the mines to the port
Longyearbyen has a road network stretching 50 kilometers (30 mi),[88] but the network does not extend to any other communities.[89] In 2008 there were 1,481 registered road vehicles and 49 percent of all households had a car.[88] Cars are registered with ZN on the license plates.[39] There is a single workshop, Svalbard Auto, which is also a Toyota dealer.[90]
Snowmobiles are a popular mode of transport and there are more snowmobiles than residents. In 2008 there were registered 2,672 snowmobiles and 69 percent of households owned at least one.[88] Off-road motorized transport is prohibited on bare ground, but snowmobiles are used extensively during winter—both for commercial and recreational activities. Transport from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg (45 km or 28 mi) and Pyramiden (100 km or 62 mi) is possible by snowmobile by winter, or by ship all year round.[89]
Svalbard Airport, Longyear is located at Hotellneset, 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) northwest of town. It has a 2,483-meter (8,146 ft) long runway and is the only airport which is permitted to serve aircraft from off the archipelago.[64][91] Scandinavian Airlines operates daily flights to Oslo and Tromsø,[92] while there are irregular flights to Russia. Lufttransport operates regular charter services to Svea Airport and Ny-Ålesund Airport, Hamnerabben. Arktikugol operates helicopters to Barentsburg and Pyramiden.[91] There are two quays in Longyearbyen, one for export of coal and one for general goods.[93] From 1907 to 1987, the mining companies operated a network of aerial tramways to transport coal from the mines to the port.[6] “”””””””
Anyway, the taxi came to take the others away and Runa went over to our trappers lodge and made the bed and made sure that the fire was burning. It had gone out so she used lighter fluid to get it started. Made it pretty hot in there actually. We went to the toilet and then over to the lodge and snugged in for the night. She was sleeping in the bigger cabin. A dog handler had been here already to feed the dogs. Normally, there is no one there at night.
Our fire went out sometime and of course that’s about when we had to get up and go to the toilet. Means put on the warm pants, the boots, and warm coat and gloves and hat and walk the 40 yards to the toilet. Sure was cold out and dark beyond the dog yard lights. The dogs were quiet but it was still a bit spooky.
When we came back, it was cold in the cabin and even though our duvets are keeping us plenty warm, we wanted a bit more heat. My husband tried to get a fire going but even with the lighter fluid, it wouldn’t catch so he was trying to chop small bits of wood off a larger log. Made me quite nervous that he was doing that with just a flashlight for light but he managed and got the fire going. Seemed like a recipe for disaster but he managed. Then we have to keep feet and arms out of the duvet until it cools down again.
Once more, we had to get up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Somehow the toilet shed had moved further away – a way long way away and it was darker, and colder, and spookier. I just said forget it and went around the cabin to pee there and my husband went the other way. Runa had suggested that we do this very thing. Very cold with the bare butt hanging out but very long way to the toilet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)