Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in 1931. In the 1950s there were as many as 2500 Russian residents, well exceeding the
population of Longyearbyen today. During its productive heyday in the early 1990s it had
60km of shafts, 130 homes, agricultural enterprises similar to those in Barentsburg and
the world's most northerly hotel and swimming pool. But with the mine no longer yield-
ing enough coal to be profitable and with Russia no longer willing or able to subsidise the
mine, Pyramiden was abandoned in 1998. A skeleton staff of (at last count) eight Russians
still live at Pyramiden to keep the flag flying, but the sense of abandonment in this remote
corner of Svalbard is poignantly evocative.
Sights
As with other sights around Svalbard, there are startling juxtapositions between the near-
pristine surroundings and the apparent meltdown of industrial infrastructure all across Pyr-
amiden. Focal points for your walk around town are the 1970s-era
Soviet architecture
,
a prominent
bust of Lenin
and the
sports hall
. As in Barentsburg, there's a small shop
in the
former hotel
selling a small selection of Soviet memorabilia and a bar serving up
vodka shots.
Across Billefjorden to the east,
Nordenskjöldbreen
is a stunning glacier running as a
broad front from the Svalbard interior to the fjord shoreline; most boat excursions from
Longyearbyen draw near for photos. The boat journey itself from Longyearbyen is a stun-
ning trip, passing striated cliffs and accompanied by puffins and fulmar.
Getting There & Away
In summer, at least two Longyearbyen-based tour agencies offer 10-hour day cruises to
Pyramiden (from Nkr1250). See
Click here
for further details.
In winter, snowmobile safaris between Longyearbyen and Pyramiden are possible (
Click
here
).
Ny Ålesund
POP 30-130
Despite its inhospitable latitude (79°N), you'd be hard pressed to find a more awesome
backdrop anywhere on earth than the scientific post of Ny Ålesund, 107km northwest of
Longyearbyen. Founded in 1916 by the Kings Bay Kull Compani, Ny Ålesund likes to
claim that it's the world's northernmost permanently inhabited civilian community (al-
