North
,heprobablyhelpedfilm it.He took the time to
donanoutfitbasedon theanorakwornbyAmundsen
duringhisSouthPoleconquest, anddroveusoutof
townso thatwecouldget theperfectshot.
There’sahigh turnoverofpeoplehere,with the
average resident staying for six-and-a-halfyears.
Therearen’tgenerationsof locals, and therearen’t
toomanyolder folk,with little in thewayof care for
theelderly (themoremature folkwedidmeetare
formidablecharacters, though). It’snotnecessarily
easy livinghere, butwhat itmeans isayoung,
dynamicand interestingpopulationof self-starters,
not leastbecausemostof themmade thedecision
tomove to theworld’snorthernmostpermanent
town.There’szerounemployment,practicallyzero
crime; theaverageage is34and theaverage income
is23percenthigher thanmainlandNorway,helped
by the fact there’snoVATandminimal income tax.
Onecaveat is that it’sexpensive, evenwithout taxon
alcohol andothergoods.
Theuniversity,UNIS, isdoingworld-leading
research intoeverything fromglaciology toclimate
changeandArctic technology– thevibe isverymuch
MITwithsnowmobilesuitsandFjällräven jackets,
and thewhole thing looksexcitingandgreat fun.
Competition forplacesatUNIS is intense–around
»
UNIS
Theworld’s northernmost
university,which alsohouses
themuseum, has around
450 students
The main drag
You’ll findmost venues
here– restaurantsKroa and
Fruene, and theSvalbar and
Karlsberger pubs
Spitsbergen Hotel
Theold staff entertainment
venue forminecompany
StoreNorske, it’s got oneof
thebest views in town
Adventfjorden
Thebodyofwater turns into
the30kmAdventdalen valley
to the right, a favourite
route for snowmobile trips
Out of town
The road thisway takes you
up toMine 7, Longyearbyen’s
last operatingmine, and the
EISCAT radar field
Backwhen
Longyearbyenwas
apuremining town,
minerswould get
mail once in the
winter – itwouldbe
air-dropped,with
lettersoften lost in
the snow.
Minermail
Svalbard
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