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Find out about Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Svalbard and a tiny Arctic metropolis with 2,400 residents from 53 countries. See the city map, the seasons, the attractions and the services of this unique town.
- Video Tour
- Where Is Longyearbyen?
- Why Is There A Town Here?
- Who Lives in Longyearbyen?
- The Town Centre
- The Local Newspaper
- Svalbard Church
- Nybyen
- An Urban Arctic Farm
- The University Centre
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Come with me as I take you on a tour of Longyearbyen and meet some of the people that make this place tick. You can watch the video I've made below, or read on for more insight and a ton of photographs. Or do both! What you'll see in the video and in the pictures on this page is what the town looks like in early March. I visited during the week tha...
Although the town is administered by Norway, you have to look a long way farther north on a map than the mainland! All the way up to 78 degrees north. For comparison, the North Cape (Nordkapp) is only at 71 degrees north, as is Barrow/Utqiaġvik in Alaska. Getting here involves a three-hour flight from Oslo with either SAS or Norwegian. Sometimes th...
Great question! If you arrive in the winter, it's probably the first thing you'll wonder. The town was founded in 1906 by the American John Munro Longyear. Ten years later he sold the settlement to a Norwegian coal company, who named their new home Longyearbyen. The name simply means Longyear Townin Norwegian. For decades, Longyearbyen was a compan...
Aside from the employees and families of the remaining coal miners, Longyearbyen is home to an incredibly diverse community. Because of the unique immigration rules defined by the Svalbard Treaty, more than 50 nationalities are represented here. That's quite something for a population of just 2,300 permanent residents. That said, approximately 66% ...
In many ways, Longyearbyen town centre looks like any other small Norwegian town. There is a hospital, post office, bank, library, hotels, church, petrol station, restaurants, shops and bars. The shopping centre provides welcome respite from the cold at this time of year! Fruene, the cafe inside the shopping centre, seemed to be the beating heart o...
The town centre is also home to many businesses including the offices of the local newspaper. Svalbardpostenis the world's northernmost newspaper, with a weekly magazine-like format. A couple of journalists sit here in the town and finalise the pages by 4pm on Tuesday. The very next morning, the magazines are on their way up on the flight from Trom...
Longyearbyen's church is located slightly higher up the hillside overlooking the town centre. The foundations for the current Svalbard Churchwere laid in 1956, and it was consecrated two years later. The wooden, rectangular church can hold around 140 people. It is the only church on the archipelago, aside from the Russian Orthodox chapel in Barents...
About two kilometres south of the town centre is Nybyen. Although translated into English as ‘The New Town', Nybyen is anything but! It was the new town when it was originally built to provide accommodation for coal miners. Today the buildings are home to the hotel and restaurant known as the ‘Coal Miners' Cabins, a popular place to stay and eat. I...
Also calling Nybyen its home is Polar Permaculture. Started by chef and food enthusiast Ben Vidmar, the company aims to develop sustainable farming solutions for the town. Although fresh food is available from the local supermarket, all of it must be flown or shipped in from the mainland. Read more: Growing food on Svalbard I interviewed Ben for a ...
Down by the waterfront is the modern building housing UNIS, the University Centre of Svalbard. Unsurprisingly, this educational centre is the world’s northernmost higher education institution. It specialises in Arctic biology, geology, geophysics and technology at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level. Just across the road is the North Pol...
Learn about the history, culture, and challenges of living in Longyearbyen, the biggest settlement on Svalbard. See photos and videos of the town, its people, and the surrounding landscape.
Longyearbyen (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈlɔ̀ŋjɛrˌbyːən], locally [ˈlɔ̀ŋjɑrˌbyːən], "Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000, and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard, Norway.
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Longyearbyen . Sign in. Open full screen to view more. This map was created by a user. Learn how to create your own. ...
Longyearbyen lies on the southern side of Adventfjorden, stretched out along the Longyearelve (Longyear River). The centre of the town lies near the coast on the east side of the river, with the district of Skjæringa across the river, the district of Nybyen 2 km (1.2 mi) to the south and the airport 3 km (1.9 mi) to the west.
Explore Longyearbyen, Svalbard with a detailed road map provided by Google. Switch to different map types, styles and perspectives, and get free map images for your website or share them with friends.
Explore Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard, with satellite maps, photos, and hotel and car rental offers. Find out the geographical coordinates, original name, and nearby airports of Longyearbyen.
