Pyramiden Пирамида | |
|---|---|
 Pyramiden in 2012 | |
  Pyramiden | |
| Coordinates:78°39′22″N16°19′30″E / 78.65611°N 16.32500°E /78.65611; 16.32500 | |
| Country | Norway |
| Territory | Svalbard |
| Island | Spitsbergen |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 6 (During summer) |
| Postal code | 9179[1] |
Pyramiden (Norwegian:[pʏrɑˈmîːdn̩]; Russian:Пирами́да,romanized:Piramída,IPA:[pʲɪrɐˈmʲidə]; literally 'The Pyramid') is an abandonedSovietcoal mining settlement on the Norwegian archipelago ofSvalbard which has become a tourist destination. Founded bySweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927, Pyramiden was closed in 1998 and has since remained largely abandoned with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place, the cold climate preserving much of the infrastructure left behind.
Since 2007, there have been efforts to make it a tourist attraction; the town's hotel was renovated and reopened in 2013. In the summer, there is a population of six caretakers.[2]
Pyramiden was founded by Sweden in 1910[3] and sold to theSoviet Union in 1927.[4] It lies at the foot of theBillefjorden on the island ofSpitsbergen and is named after the pyramid-shaped mountain with the same name adjacent to the town.[5] The nearest settlements areSvalbard's capital,Longyearbyen, some 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the south,Barentsburg approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest and the small research community ofNy-Ålesund, 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the west. In Soviet times, the population was mostly Ukrainian, consisting of miners from theDonbas and staff fromVolyn.[6][7]
Owned by the state-owned Russian mining companyArktikugol, which also owns the settlement ofBarentsburg, Pyramiden once had over 1,000 inhabitants. Among its amenities were a cultural centre with a theater, a library, art and music studios; a sports complex; and a cantina open 24 hours a day.[8] It also had a primary school.[9]: 200 The northernmost monument toVladimir Lenin[10] and the northernmost swimming pool were also found here.[5]
In 1996, acharter flight for Arktikugol crashed on the approach toSvalbard Airport with the loss of 141 lives.[11]
Between 1955 and 1998, as much as nine million tonnes of coal were extracted from the mine.[12] Mining ceased on 31 March 1998 and the settlement closed that same year. The last permanent resident departed on 10 October, leaving Pyramiden as aghost town.[13]
Until 2007, the former settlement remained uninhabited and largely untouched. The buildings' interiors remained largely as they were when the settlement was abandoned.[14] In 2012, Aleksandr Romanovsky became the first person to return to live in Pyramiden. He has since been joined by five others. Romanovsky, a musician and tour guide in the settlement, has called himself the "world's most northern head-banger". Romanovsky has lived for years on his own in this abandoned town.[15][16][17]
On 27 August 2019, the world's northernmost film festival was held in Pyramiden, dedicated to the 100th anniversary ofSoviet cinema.[18]
Pyramiden is accessible by boat orsnowmobile fromLongyearbyen, either as part of a guided tour or independently. There is also thePyramiden Heliport. There are no restrictions on visiting Pyramiden, but visitors are not allowed to enter any buildings without permission even if they are open. While most buildings are now locked, breaking into the buildings, vandalism and theft of artefacts have become a serious threat to Pyramiden as it contributes to the accelerating deterioration of the buildings.[9]: 182 [19]
Pyramiden is maintained as a tourist destination by Arctic Travel Company Grumant, a division ofArktikugol. Tours through many buildings are available upon request at the Pyramiden Hotel. The movie theatre has been restored to fully functioning, and movies may now be booked on request. An archive of over 1000Soviet films is preserved in the storerooms on the site.[20]
Since 2007, Arktikugol has been renovating the hotel and upgrading the infrastructure, including building a new power station with diesel generators, in order to accommodate tourists in the old settlement. Up to 30 workers have been living in the settlement year round to maintain the facilities and guide tourists visiting from Longyearbyen.[21]
As of 2013[update], the Pyramiden hotel has been reopened and it is possible to stay overnight in Pyramiden.[22] The hotel also houses thePyramiden Museum as well as a post office and a souvenir shop. There was a small hotel built of old shipping containers near the harbour, but this has closed since the hotel is now renovated and open for guests.[19] There are no plans to renovate and reopen the whole settlement.
Pyramiden travel guide from Wikivoyage
Media related toPyramiden at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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