How people live in the northernmost settlement in the world (16 photos)

Ny-Ålesund is a tiny settlement on the west coast islands of Svalbard. In this post you will see how life goes in the northernmost research station in the world and the northernmost settlement of the planet.





Norwegian Ny-Ålesund, like many settlements on Svalbard, was founded as a mining village. First brought here workers in 1916. Coal mining was carried out here intermittently, and periodically the settlement was empty. Finally, all the workers left these territories in 1963.



City in the 1910s

But five years later, the village had a second life - here the scientists arrived. Today, 35 people permanently live here. In summer the number of residents increases by 3-4 times: people come to the station researchers from different countries. Ny-Ålesund is located 1100 km from North Pole, this makes it the northernmost settlement on the planet, where people live all the time. They are engaged in the study of ice and snow, studying climate change, and once a week they gather for a gathering of Strikk og Drikk (literally translated "Knit and sip"). One of the features of this place is that a company of different people always spontaneously gathers here scientists: chemists, biologists, geologists, ecologists. This is one of the few places in a world where they all live for a long time in an informal setting and communicate.

A 34-year-old chemist from the Swiss Institute takes a snow sample





Explorers on skis and in the company of dogs head to the fishing village of Kongsfjord



They also ride snowmobiles to Kongsfjord



One of the employees of the research station with her dog



Bust of Roald Amundsen in the center of Ny-Ålesund: one of the explorer's expeditions started from here



Scientists drive through an ice field



Ny-Ålesund from above



Safety training and instruction on how to use the rocket launcher



Once a week, researchers gather for a get-together called Strikk og Drikk



Snow cleaning



Drone view of the drilling station 70 km from Ny-Ålesund, where they found a subglacial lake



And here is the station from the ground: in the tent in the background - devices for drilling



Ice cave near Kongsfjord



Raindrops and warming in the settlement