Svalbard is a mysterious polar archipelago, shrouded in secrets, around which passions have still not abated regarding the question of who first discovered the land. No less interesting is the village of Pyramid on Spitsbergen. It is about him that will be discussed in our article.
A bit of history ...
It is known that Pomors knew about Svalbard as “Grumanite” back in the 15th century. They were engaged in crafts in the archipelago. The results of radiocarbon analyzes prove that Pomors appeared much earlier on the polar lands than Vikings. Although the Norwegians have an opinion on this. But this is rather a political issue.
According to the official version, the island was discovered by Berenets, who was busy looking for the shortest route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. After the discovery of Svalbard, whaling flotillas settled on it. After all, one whale gave up to 1.5 tons of a mustache. The very first claims on this territory were voiced by the Danes and the British. Unlike Europeans, Russians felt more comfortable on the island. They built camps and hibernated in extremely harsh conditions. Norwegians began to appear on these lands only at the end of the 19th century. The archipelago, just during this period, was recognized as “no man's land”. The legal status of the lands was to be decided between Sweden, Norway and Russia in 1914. But the First World War prevented, therefore, they returned to this issue only in 1920.
Construction of a new village
Subsequently, part of the land was still bought by Russia. Arktiugol was in charge of the land plots, which was assigned the task of supplying coal in the required quantities to the northern territories of Russia. So until 1941, two mines worked on the island. One of them is in Grumanite, and the second - in Barenburg, the construction of the third village - Pyramid (Spitsbergen) began. Daily ships went to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. During the war, all workers had to be transported to the northern parts of England. And in 1946, builders and miners came again, who in two years restored two villages. In 1956, the city of Pyramid on Svalbard was completed.
And so it happened that Russia has three towns on the island, the first is Grumant, which was mothballed in 1961. According to the miners, in its bowels there are large reserves of coal. The second town is Barentsburg, which exists to this day. On its territory there is a school, swimming pool, consulate of the Russian Federation and other infrastructure. The third village is the Pyramid (Svalbard). This place is the most interesting, therefore, it will be discussed.
City Pyramid
The Pyramid (Svalbard) is located in a very beautiful place at the very foot of the mountain. The village is really in shape very much like a pyramid facing the Nordenskjöld Glacier. During the crisis years, there was no one left for the winter in the village, so the Norwegians, who traveled by snowmobiles and took away all the most valuable things, ruled here. Pos. The pyramid on Spitsbergen could turn into another ghost town, like the Ukrainian Pripyat, but, fortunately, they are currently trying to breathe new life into it using tourism.
The town is located 120 kilometers north than the Norwegian Longyear. Once the Pyramid had the status of the northernmost mine. Yes, and in general, the prefix "the most northern" could be added to any object or object of the village. In 1998, coal production was stopped, and the city of Pyramid on Spitsbergen (photo is given in the article) was mothballed. But in the 1980s, about a thousand people lived in it. Since representatives of all states could conduct activities on Svalbard, at one time the Pyramid was a kind of indicator of the standard of living of Soviet people. Many wanted to get here to work. If it succeeded, then it was considered a great success.
Abandoned heritage
The pyramid on Svalbard (photo is in the article) was once the most significant village on the island after Barentsburg (about 400 people now live in it). Grumanite was closed in the sixties, and its inhabitants were evicted.
After its founding, highly skilled miners from the Donbass and from Tula were sent to the Pyramid. During the heyday of the town, more than a thousand people lived in it. The village was considered a visiting card of the country, so residents were offered a fairly high standard of living as compensation for living in the conditions of the polar night, which lasts here for three months. The town, in fact, is cut off from the outside world due to the freezing sea, even in summer the temperature here does not rise above + 5 degrees.
The stake was placed on the Pyramid mine (Svalbard), but at the same time, the town’s infrastructure was also actively developed. Greenhouses, livestock enterprises were built, a school, a library, a kindergarten, a pharmacy, a hospital, two pools, a gym worked. Also in the city there was a concert hall, a cinema, a music studio. All buildings were built of high quality materials, much attention was paid to even the smallest details. So, the walls were lined with birch boards, mosaics, marble floors and mirrored ceilings were made. From Murmansk they even brought grass for landscaping. Even now, it’s noticeable in what scale everything was done here. So, for example, at the lake, from which water was taken for the city, there are still hydro-needles. With their help, soil was frozen in the summer, so that water from the reservoir did not go into the soil during permafrost thawing.
All paths in the town were lit with lanterns around the clock during the polar night. In addition, all of them were a meter higher than the ground level, since heating mains were laid under them, which simultaneously heated the roads and prevented snow and moisture from lingering on them.
Reasons for conservation of the town
The village of Pyramid on the Spitsbergen Archipelago existed until 1998, after which it was mothballed. After many years of work, by coincidence, it was necessary to close the mine. It had a fire that was hard to put out. Restoration work required significant investments, which simply were not there due to the 1998 default. And coal reserves remained small. In general, all the circumstances were such that the mine was simply closed, and the village was empty along with it. Although, by that time in the Pyramid there were already much fewer people than in its heyday.
The revival of the village
The mining village of Pyramid on Spitsbergen was mothballed, not abandoned, which gives hope that Russia will return to its development again. Currently, the town, or rather its facilities, are of interest to tourists who come to see it. Now the Pyramid on the island of Svalbard is a tourist area. "Arktikugol" restored the hotel, also partially restored heating networks, sewers and water supply. A restaurant has been opened for tourists, a diesel station and thermal boilers have been launched. The port has three houses for visitors, and not so few people visit the Pyramid. For tourists, of interest is not only the buildings of the village themselves, but also its location. The port offers stunning views of the sea and the glacier, which is so clearly visible, as if it is very close by. In fact, the distance to it is about 15 kilometers.
Polar bears often come to town. Once a bear sneaked into a hotel bar and found nuts and a couple of cans of beer there. The guest was kicked out by the whole world. And the bear was in no hurry to leave the warm den. Since then, the bar has been offering guests a set of two cans of beer and a pack of nuts called the “Polar Bear Set”.
A farm was once built on the territory of the town, and the experiment was so successful that ours exported meat and milk to Longyearbyen. The village even had its own fields on which grass grew. Chernozem was brought here by several ships arriving from the USSR. On the lawn in those days was not allowed to walk, unless, of course, we were not talking about children.
How to get to the village?
If you are interested in the village of Pyramid on Spitsbergen (photos are presented), then the question naturally arises, how to get to it. The tourist option is quite simple. You need to fly to Longyearbyen, and there take a boat trip to the village itself. If you want to spend the night on the island, you can stay in a local hotel. And then return back on the same ship in a few days. Norwegians also take their tourists to the Pyramid on foot, on snowmobiles, on kayaks.
By the way, Russian scientists are in great demand on Svalbard. Arktikugol also regularly recruits people for job vacancies. The contracts are for two years.
Moreover, as a rule, the staff lives in Barentsburg, only to go to work in the village of Pyramid on Spitsbergen.
Tourist routes (characteristic)
At the port of the village, guests are greeted by the so-called local guide. It is he who conducts an excursion program. Rather, it looks like a northern hunter with a carbine behind his back. A walk through the city includes an external inspection of key buildings, and a guide even makes it possible to enter some of them, though not for long. So, for example, you can look into the Sports Palace, which makes an impression. The building for such a city is large enough, executed on a grand scale. In general, the village makes an interesting impression. All houses are locked, as if someone had left and is about to return. The city seems to be waiting for its residents to arrive here soon.
On the territory of the town, a souvenir shop was organized (as without them) and a museum, which opens only during the arrival of another group of tourists. It contains old photos showing the village in its heyday. There are also stuffed birds and a bear. The exposition of the institution is not very rich.
The village today
According to the guides, there are very few Russians in Svalbard, including the city of Pyramid. There can only be a couple of people per season. But there are quite a lot of Norwegians.
Currently, only a couple of people who manage the hotel winters in the village. Oddly enough, but during the polar night, visitors to the hotel are much more. Walking along Svalbard on snowmobiles leaving Longyear is very popular now. Tourists call at the Pyramid as a transit point, where you can eat and spend the night. But in the summer, all the staff consisting of ten people returns to the town. Among them there are workers who support the town in relatively normal condition.
Silent Monuments of the Past
In general, on its territory and in the district there are amazing objects that are currently dumb witnesses of their former prosperity. After the work in the mine was stopped, all its inhabitants hurriedly left the city, taking only their savings. The houses still have furniture and dried plants on the windowsills. Here everything remains as it was in 1998. In general, the village makes an indelible impression. No wonder it is called a ghost town. It is as if it is, but as if it is not. And, if the buildings are impressive outside, then going inside, you feel a nagging anguish when you look at the abandoned things of people, abandoned sports equipment in the complex and even medical equipment in the clinic.
Around the village are visible dilapidated communications and lines used during the coal mining period. Here you can see the last trolley, which froze in anticipation of something.
It still flaunts an inscription about when the last coal mining was completed - March 31, 1998, preceding the closure of the mine.
Remnants of infrastructure
On the territory of the Pyramid at that time there was a fairly developed infrastructure, especially when you consider that all this was built in extremely harsh conditions. And now here you can see two wooden buildings connected by a dining room. One of them was intended for unmarried men. And they called him "London." In the second, single women lived, which is why it was called "Paris". Nearby is a five-story dormitory building, in which couples settled with children. Numerous birds have now built nests in the window openings of the house. Nearby you can see the building of the thermal power plant, heating the whole town. It is no less interesting to look at the local hotel Tulip, a sports complex and the world's northernmost pool.
Instead of an afterword
By the way, there is still no connection on the territory of the Pyramid. You can use mobile communication only in the port, where there is a place in which the phones come to life. Probably, for the sake of laughter, a Soviet-era payphone is installed here, which, of course, does not work, but indicates the place where the network is available. So, if you want to take a break from the outside world, the Internet and the phone, you should go to the Pyramid.