Barentsburg is the second-largest settlement on Svalbard, with about 470 inhabitants, almost entirely made up of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians.
History
Rijpsburg is the name of a now abandoned Dutch settlement on Spitsbergen on Cape Boheman, at the north site of Nordfjorden in the Isfjord, roughly diagonally opposite Longyearbyen. It was built in 1920 by the RotterdamVan der Eb and Dresselhuys Scheepvaartmaatschappij with prefabricated huts for the mining of coal. Twelve Dutch staff and 52 German miners started mining coal here that year. Dutch Spitsbergen Company was founded in 1920,bought a mine in Green Harbour fjord from the Russians and start coal mining from 1921 to 1926. The company renamed the settlement Barentsburg after the Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz. In 1932 the company sold the mine, including its settlement Barentsburg, to the Russian Trust Arktikugol. The population has declined over the decades; in its heyday, over 1,000 Soviet citizens inhabited Barentsburg.
2006 fire
On October 17, 2006 Norwegian inspectors detected a smoldering underground fire in Barentsburg, prompting fears that an open fire might break out, which would have forced the total evacuation of Barentsburg for an indefinite period of time, and also cause environmental problems of unknown magnitude for the entire archipelago. The fire was later contained. Coal mining resumed at the end of 2010.
Barentsburg started as a Dutch mining town in the 1920s. In 1932 the Dutch sold their concession to the Soviet Union. Since 1932 the Russian state-owned Arktikugol Trust has been operating on Svalbard. The main economic activity is coal mining by the Arktikugol company. The coal is usually exported to Northern European buyers. The town relies entirely on mainland Russia for food and coinage. There have been instances in which not enough food was sent, and aid packages were sent from Longyearbyen. Tourism is now being developed, but does not yet generate enough income to revive the town.
Transportation
The distance from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg is about 55 km but there are no roads connecting the two settlements. Most contact between the two is by boat, snowmobile, or helicopter. There is a heliport with a road connection at Heerodden, 4 km north of Barentsburg. Tourists usually arrive via a 2-3-hour boat trip from Longyearbyen. The coal is freighted by ship. The port is located in the middle of Barentsburg.
Climate
Barentsburg features a tundra climate under the Köppen climate classification, with short, chilly “summers” and long, very cold winters, though winters here are noticeably warmer than winters in a number of locations with tundra climates. Due to the fact that the town is located at a latitude approaching 80 degrees, only in four months of the year have average temperatures above freezing, and in no month does the average monthly temperature exceed, meaning it is north of the tree line. Average low temperatures during the winter routinely drop below. Barentsburg averages roughly of precipitation, much of which falls as snow. In fact, the town typically experiences snowfall in every month of the year.
Science and culture
The Barentsburg Pomor Museum presents Pomor culture, Arctic flora and fauna, and archeological objects preserved in the permafrost. It is open when the daily, summer-only boat from Longyear arrives and by special arrangement. There is an athletic complex, including a swimming pool with heated seawater. Every summer, several dozen geophysicists, geologists, archeologists, biologists, glaciologists, geographers, etc., from Russia and elsewhere work in the scientific research centre. There is also a year-round meteorological observatory and the northernmost cosmic rays station.
Education
Barentsburg has its own school serving the Russian community; in 2014 it had three teachers, with one for most subjects, one for music, and one for the English language. By 2014 its welfare funds had declined.
