Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
though you could make a case for three other equally minuscule spots in Russia and
Canada).
Throughoutmuchofthe20thcenturyKingsBayminedforcoal.Asmanyas300people
once lived and worked here but, after the last of several lethal explosions resulted in 21
deaths, mining stopped in 1963. Ny Ålesund has since recycled itself as a prominent sci-
entific post, with research stations of several nations, including Japan, France, the British
Antarctic Survey and China (bizarrely in this land of polar bears and Arctic foxes, two
marble lions stand watch over the Chinese quarters). There's a hardy year-round popula-
tion of around 30 scientists, rising to 130 in summer (never more since that's the number
of beds available) as researchers from about 15 countries fly in.
Sights
There's a 1.5km trail with multilingual interpretive panels that takes you around the main
sites of this tiny settlement.
In the early 20th century several polar explorers set off from Ny Ålesund, including the
likes of Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth, Admiral Byrd and Umberto Nobile. The an-
chor pylon was used by Nobile and Amundsen to launch the airship Norge on their suc-
cessful flight over the pole to Alaska in 1926; it came in handy again two years later, when
Nobile returned to launch the Italia on his ill-fated repeat attempt. You'll see memorials
to these missions around the settlement.
Perhaps the most unusual sight is the stranded steam locomotive near the dock. In 1917
a narrow-gauge railway was constructed to connect the coalfields with the harbour and it
remained inuseuntil1958.Therestoredlocomotive is,naturally,theworld'snorthernmost
railway relic.
The town also supports a neat little Mine Museum (Gruvemuseum; donation sugges-
ted; 24hr) in the old Tiedemann's Tabak (tobacco) shop, relating the coal-mining his-
tory of this area.
All nonprofessional visitors arrive in Ny Ålesund on tourist cruises and linger for an
hour or two.
Around Ny Ålesund
KONGSFJORDEN
Ny Ålesund's backdrop, Kongsfjorden (the namesake for the Kings Bay Kull Compani)
spectacularly contrasts bleak grey-brown shores with expansive white icefields. The dis-
 
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