Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bard, historical drawings with a Svalbard focus, temporary exhibitions, and a marvellous
10-minute film,
The Arctic Nature of Svalbard
. The gallery has a small cafe and an excel-
lent shop.
Attached to the gallery is the
Kunstnersenteret
(Artists' Centre; 11am-5pm Mar-Sep,
1-5pm Tue-Sat & 11-3pm Sun Oct-Feb)
which serves as a workshop for local artists with many
of the works on sale.
Historic Sites
The original site for Longyearbyen was on the rise above the west bank of the stream that
runs down to the fjord from the two glaciers. Today the rise is dominated by the wooden
Svalbard Kirke
, which was first built in the 1920s but later rebuilt after being destroyed
in the German invasion during WWII; it's usually left open.
Some 50m south of the church stand five weathered
wooden steps
, all alone, and a sign,
'Sykhustrappa' (Hospital Stairs). They're all that remain of Longyearbyen's first hospital
and they have a special significance for the town's residents. Traditionally, a week of cel-
ebrations to dispel the weeks of winter darkness begins once the first of the spring sun's
rays touched the forehead of someone standing on the top step.
South of the church and the steps,
wooden pillars
emerging from the permafrost are all
that remain of the original settlement; again, the houses that once stood here were burned
to the ground during WWII.
Further into the valley to the south lies a haunting little
graveyard
with simple white,
wooden crosses with dates. It dates from the early 20th century and includes the bodies of
seven young men in Longyearbyen who were struck down by the Spanish flu in October
1918, a virus that killed 40 million people in Europe, Asia and North America.
From here there's a fine view across the valley to the evocative remains of former
Mine
No 2
.
