View of Longyearbyen from the top of Sarkofagen, 513 metres above sea level. Sarkofagen is located in the southwest of the city; its high altitude makes it popular among tourists. Longyearbyen is to the south of Isfjorden (the “fjord of ice”) and is the administrative capital of Svalbard, an archipelago under the direct administration of Norway. The city, once a mining settlement, is now an important centre for tourism and research. It was founded in 1906 by a wealthy American businessman, John Munro Longyear, from whom it takes its name. Today it has approximately 2,600 inhabitants. 

Heaps of coal waiting to be transported by ship from the quay at Adventfjorden, northwest of Longyearbyen. The quality of the coal mined in Longyearbyen is very high; formed 2.65 million years ago, it is one of the youngest anthracite reserves in the world. Approximately 80,000 tons of coal mined in Longyearbyen are exported to Europe for industrial use each year. Up to 2023, roughly 30,000 tons were used exclusively for local energy production.

Coal has dictated the rhythms of life in Longyearbyen for over a century. Many of the customs and traditions today date back to a time when the town was a mining settlement (one example is the practice of leaving shoes at the entrance of houses and some public places). Although the gradual closure of the mines has progressively reduced the presence of the Norwegian population on the island, the increase in opportunities in the service, tourism and research sectors has attracted an increasingly international population. 

The port and coal-fired power plant of Longyearbyen seen from the airport area. The coal-fired power plant was shut down on 19 October 2023, and the city started using imported diesel to generate electricity and heat. The closure of the plant is part of Norway’s energy transition plan. The last coal mine still operational in Svalbard is Gruve 7, owned by the state-owned company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. Gruve 7 was initially scheduled to close in 2022, but the energy crisis that hit Europe after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine postponed the end of operations to the summer of 2025.  

Although mining is still carried out in Longyearbyen today, all the coal produced is now exported, and a fierce debate is raging among residents about the effectiveness of the new energy plan. Many criticise the economic and environmental costs now that the city is dependent on imported diesel. People acknowledge that coal is no longer part of the island’s future, but some believe that the mines should remain open in the absence of a viable and sustainable alternative. Meanwhile, Norway is testing the use of solar panels and wind farms in the archipelago. A pilot project with 360 solar panels was launched in Svalbard in September 2023. 

A reindeer carcass on the slopes of Sarkofagen. Many reindeer have died of starvation in Longyearbyen in recent years due to rising temperatures (researchers on site report more than 200 carcasses with obvious signs of malnutrition in 2019 alone). The lichens the reindeer feed on become inaccessible owing to the layer of ice that forms after sudden rain. Findings from a report in 2023 published in the Western Norway Research Institute stated that climate change in Svalbard has brought rain into the heart of the Arctic winter, and precipitation has increased by more than 65 per cent since 1971. The frozen pastures force reindeer to seek less nutritious alternatives or to travel longer distances to find food. 

Children’s clothes hang in a room in Bruktikken, a second-hand shop where everything is free. The shop, run by university students and reliant on donations from residents, aims to limit waste. There is a constant rotation of students, tourists and researchers in Longyearbyen who leave all kinds of objects and clothes behind when they leave. There are Halloween costumes covered in fake blood, snow boots and technical equipment, DVDs and books in Russian and lots of children’s clothing and games.

A crowd of tourists photographs the Northern Lights above Sarkofagen. This phenomenon is less common in Svalbard than in other parts of northern Norway. However, witnessing the aurora remains one of the major attractions of the archipelago. Tourism has been growing since the first airport opened in Longyearbyen in 1975, followed by the first hotel 20 years later. There is much discussion in the city of the benefits of the transition from a mining economy to one based on tourism: for some time now, many residents have been critical of the environmental impact that the tourism and cruise ship market can have on a fragile ecosystem like that of Svalbard. The Norwegian government’s latest White Paper for Svalbard acknowledges that an increase in tourism activity contradicts the Svalbard Environment Protection Act. A series of measures have therefore been introduced to reduce the negative impact of tourism on fauna and flora.

A Christmas torchlight procession that takes place every year in the heart of the polar night when the city is plunged into perpetual darkness and the sun never rises. According to local tradition, Santa Claus (the equivalent of Father Christmas) dwells in the abandoned Gruve 2 mine complex. Every year, during the torchlight procession, children are taken to the foot of the disused mine to leave their letters to Santa Claus and then proceed to the centre of Longyearbyen to sing Christmas carols. There are many traditional celebrations and festivities which bring residents together and strengthen the sense of community. A Lutheran church is one of the main meeting places and welcomes believers of different nationalities and religions.

The “Beverly Hills” district, one of the newest residential complexes in Longyearbyen. Housing in the city is in short supply and often reserved for people with a work contract.

A student crosses the street on an October morning to go from the shower room to his accommodation in Nybyen, Longyearbyen’s southernmost suburb. Some say the student housing complex was built in that area because students “like to party,” and the noise would help keep polar bears away from the city. Longyearbyen has become an important research hub for the study of climate change over the past few decades: the number of researchers and research stations in various parts of the island has increased since the University of Svalbard (UNIS) was founded in the early 1990s. 

An evening of discussion about the situation within the Poli Artici hiking company, founded by the Italian entrepreneur Stefano Poli, who has lived in Longyearbyen for over 20 years. Tourism is now an integral part of the city’s economy and provides employment primarily to non-Norwegian residents. Tens of thousands of tourists visit Longyearbyen every year, arriving by ship or plane.

Svalbardbutikken, the only supermarket in Longyearbyen. It is restocked by cargo ship from the mainland approximately once a week. Protective barriers constructed in 2018 are visible on the mountain behind the building following a series of deadly avalanches in previous years. According to a 2019 report by the Norwegian Environment Agency, this phenomenon is increasing in winter in Longyearbyen due to global warming (temperatures in Svalbard have risen by 4-5 degrees Celsius in recent decades). Many houses have been moved in response to the threat, and parts of the city where the avalanche risk is higher are being evacuated.  

Climate change has also increased the risk of accidents at excavation sites. Gruve 7 was forced to close for several days in 2020 due to flooding from melting mountain ice.  

Svein Jonny Albrigtsen, head of safety at Gruve 7. In Svalbardposten, the local Norwegian-language newspaper, there is an article on his unrivalled collection of historical Svalbard stamps, banknotes and coins from the 20th century. Albrigtsen has lived here since he was nine years old, and, like his father, has worked in almost all the Norwegian mines on the island. The closure of the mines caused many miners to leave the archipelago, leading to more of a social and cultural change for Longyearbyen rather than an economic one.

Two miners talk in front of a machine to implement safety measures in the mine at Gruve 7. This machine drives iron rods around five feet long into the wall to reinforce the stability of the mine vault, and thereby prevent the low ceilings from collapsing on the miners. The photo was taken at the deepest point of the mountain, more than six kilometres from the entrance. The coal seams found in the mountain complex around Longyearbyen were formed horizontally and are sandwiched between thick layers of rock. Gruve 7 is located approximately 15 kilometres south-east of Longyearbyen and has been active for 50 years. Closure of Gruve 7 is scheduled for summer 2025.