Tuesday 29 October 2024Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Polar night, day 4 of 112. The sun returns 15 February.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
This week in history, 31 October
1932
The Dutch owners sold Barentsburg to the Soviet state company Arktikugol in 1932. That autumn the steamer Tawaritsch Stalin, bringing workers and machinery for the Soviet mine, ran aground at the mouth of Isfjorden and was pulled off by a Soviet ship and British trawlers.
History Store norske leksikon
From the timeline, The modern town
1975
Before 1975 Svalbard and Longyearbyen were linked to the mainland by boat for up to seven months of the year. Svalbard Airport opened in 1975 at Hotellneset, west of the town.
History Store norske leksikon
Svalbard