Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Explore the Arctic wilderness by
hiking
under the midnight sun.
2
Travel into the fjords of inner Svalbard with a boat trip to
Pyramiden
and
the Nordenskjöldbreen glacier.
3
Experience the polar silence like the explorers of old on a winter
dog-sled-
4
Listen to the echo of the Soviet Union on a day trip to the Russian settle-
ment of
Barentsburg
.
5
Feel the exhilaration of racing through the icy wastes on a winter
snow-
6
Spend a sunny morning surrounded by the brilliant glaciers and turquoise
waters of
Magdalenefjord
.
7
Immerse yourself in the natural and human history of Svalbard at the
Sval-
History
The first mention of Svalbard occurs in an Icelandic saga from 1194. Officially, however,
the Dutch voyager Willem Barents, while in search of a northeast passage to China, is re-
garded as the first visitor from the European mainland (1596). He named the islands Spits-
bergen, or 'sharp mountains'. The Norwegian name, Svalbard, comes from the Old Norse
for 'cold coast'. Today, Spitsbergen is the name of Svalbard's largest island. In 1920 the
Svalbard Treaty granted Norway sovereignty over the islands and restricted military activ-
ities. Initially signed by nine nations, it now has over 40 adherents, whose citizens enjoy
the same rights and obligations on the islands as Norwegians themselves.
Whaling & Hunting
At the time of Barents' discovery, the archipelago was uninhabited. From 1612 to 1720
English, Dutch, French, Norwegian and Danish ships engaged in whaling off the western
coast of Spitsbergen island; it's estimated that the Dutch alone slaughtered 60,000 whales.
An English group undertook the first known overwintering at Bellsund in 1630, fol-
lowed by a Dutch group at Smeerenburg three years later; the following winter, however,
scurvy took its toll and the settlement was abandoned for winter, leaving behind a small
caretaker team, who all perished. From the early 18th century, Russian Pomor (coast-
