waiting for the winter
this fellow blocks mainstreet and you are not allowed to push him over
most houses in Longyearbyen are company owned
an areal tramway once transported the coal to Longyearbyen
Spitsbergen is
Svalbard's largest island and the only one which has permanent settlements.
Longyearbyen is the only
town and forms the port of entry to Svalbard.
The town's local government is elected but the governor is appointed by
Norway.
The Russians have their own community at
Barendsburg and further there are a couple of smaller settlements.
Coal
mining was the number one industry, but tourism and research are picking up pace.
Global warming scaremongers cry wolf about the imminent demise of Polar Bears, but presently the white
beasts are
thriving. Outside the settlements rifles are mandatory and sometimes needed to protect against
bear
attacks.
In June 2013 we visited Longyearbyen and explored its surroundings on a quad safari.
in the Isfjorden we get a first impression of the scenery that awaits us
Longyearbyen is not your typical townl
All dressed-up for the quad expedition
a dogsled on wheels? everything to cater to the tourists
we see the first reindeers just outside town
stocking up for the winter
the Svalbard Satelite Station on a foggy Platåberget mountain is covered in clouds
the views from here are spectacular
Longyearbyen's mainstreet
the seals are hung out to dry, out of reach of hungry polar bears
