Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Longyearbreen
The prominent glacier tongues licking at the upper, southwestern outskirts of Longyearby-
en have scoured and gouged through many layers of sedimentary material, including fossil
layers, created when Svalbard enjoyed a more tropical climate. The terminal moraine
churns up plant fossils - leaves and twigs that left their marks 40 to 60 million years ago.
Several guided walks build in time for a little foraging.
The trail leads up past the Huset and up the river's true left bank, past the abandoned
mine buildings, and onto a rough track. After the remains of a bridge (on your left), you'll
approach the terminal moraine and cross a stream that flows down from your left. The
track then traverses some steep slopes, crosses the river and continues upstream to its end
at the fossil fields. The 5km return hike from Huset takes about 1½ hours, not counting
fossicking time.
Adventdalen
Stark, wide-open Adventdalen beckons visitors with wild Arctic landscapes. After leaving
town, you'll pass the pungent husky kennels; Isdammen, a freshwater lake that provides
drinking water for Longyearbyen and an important habitat for the barnacle goose; then a
northern lights station. With a car or bike, you can also cruise out to the defunct
coal mine
Nos 5 and 6
and pass
No 7
(the only one that still functions). Above mine No 7 is a satel-
lite station.
Barentsburg
Pop 471
Visiting the Russian mining settlement of Barentsburg is like stumbling upon a forgotten
outpost of the Soviet Union somewhere close to the end of the earth. Although efforts are
being made to spruce it up, the bleakness of its Soviet-era architecture in the icy north still
seems like a grim evocation of Arctic Siberia.
The first thing you see upon arrival is its power-station chimney, belching dark black
smoke into the blue sky. This isolated village continues to mine coal against all odds and
still produces up to 350,000 tonnes per year - the seam is predicted to last at least another
