Barentsburg



Barentsburg (Баренцбург) is the only remaining Russian settlement in Svalbard.

Understand
Barentsburg is named after Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz, who discovered Svalbard in 1596. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 gave the previously unclaimed islands to Norway but allowed any country to perform mining and other economic activity. The Russian state-owned Trust Arktikugol has been mining coal here since 1932, and during the Cold War Barentsburg was a hotbed of activity as the Russians attempted to expand their zone of control over the islands. After Pyramiden was closed in 1998, Barentsburg has been the only Russian settlement still operating, with some 470 inhabitants as of 2015, and some 100,000 tons of coal exported yearly. The mine closed in 2006 after concerns about the risk of an underground fire, but resumed production in late 2010.

The settlement used to be home to over 1,000 people, so many buildings are no longer inhabited, and some are left to decay. It has a truly stunning setting. When the weather is clear enough to see across the Isfjord, and the black smoke rises from by the old coal power plant, the visit will leave a strong impression on the few who visit.



By plane
Barentsburg has a operated by the Russian company SPARK+ with one Mi-8 helicopter. Trust Arktikugol can only use the helicopter service within the limits of its activities as a mining company, and chartered tourist transport is not permitted. The flight between Longyearbyen Airport and Barentsburg is about 15 minutes. The heliport is located around 4 km from Barentsburg. There is a road there where a minibus transports the travellers.

By boat
Most visitors arrive from Longyearbyen on daytrips (2–3 hours one way by boat). The sailing season is from March to November. In summer, there are also occasional cargo and passenger boats to Murmansk on the Russian mainland (3 days).

By foot
There are no roads to Barentsburg, and it's two days' solid hiking from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg in the summer. The easiest way (starting from Longyearbyen) is to head off from the end of the road in Bjørndalen, go up on the mountain of Fuglefjella, continue past the valley of Grumant and descend to the coast along a small creek after 2-3 km. The hike should take about 6–7 hours. The night can be spent in either the Rusanov cabin outside of the old mining settlement of Coles Bay (closed in 1962) or in one of the buildings of Coles Bay (recommended in summer only). The next day is a slightly longer hike (7–9 hours), but in flat terrain, crossing the Coles Valley and continuing along Kapp Laila before arriving the heliport at Heerodden outside Barentsburg. There is a road from Heerodden to the settlement itself.

By snowmobile
In late winter and early spring when there's enough snow, travel by snowmobile is a more popular option and day trips are offered by tour operators in Longyearbyen &mdash; it's a fantastic ride and well recommended.

Get around
Barentsburg is easily covered on foot and orienting yourself in the town is easy. It's some 220 steps up the stairs from to the settlement, where more or less everything is along the main street, ulitsa Ivana Starostina.

Talk
Russian and Ukrainian are the main languages, spoken by the majority of the population. Government officials speak Norwegian.

See


Day-tripping tourists get about 2 hours to see the sights, and for most this is plenty.





Outside the town
There are a couple of viewpoints 2-4 hours away where you can hike independently or as part of a tour. If going independently, you're required to carry a gun and a signal gun, because of the polar bear risk, as anywhere in Svalbard outside settlements.





Do
Activities are operated by the Grumant company, see the Understand section for contact information.











Buy
The Norwegian currency kroner is used in Barentsburg, and prices for tourist activities are adjusted to Norwegian levels.





Eat and drink
Locals eat cabbage soup (shchi) in their canteen for free, for tourists there are a couple of places to eat and drink.





Sleep


There are two public accommodation options. Both are booked through the Grumant travel company or booking websites.



Connect
The Barentsburg Hotel has a post office for sending mail. It's a branch of the Longyearbyen post office and thus uses Norwegian stamps (and Norwegian prices), but they do have their own postmark. The post office also has a small exhibition presenting the history of Svalbard's postal services.

There is a small Russian consulate on Barentsburg, which could theoretically issue you a Russian visa. Don't count on it though, certainly not without checking ahead. A Russian visa application is a complicated process, and you can't just show up to get one. For example, you need a confirmed and paid hotel booking before applying.

Go next
Return to Longyearbyen by the means described in Get in above is the most straightforward option. If you plan on taking one of the occasional boats to Murmansk, check beforehand if you need a visa (and get one).