Svalbard This day, 19 December
2015
Avalanche in Longyearbyen
On 19 December 2015 a large avalanche from Sukkertoppen hit ten houses in Longyearbyen and killed two people.
History Store norske leksikon
Thursday 19 December 2024Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Polar night, day 55 of 112. The sun returns 15 February.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
From the timeline, The coal town
1989
The company town ends
For a long time Longyearbyen was a company town, where the mining company ran most of the activity and the infrastructure. In 1989 the typical community services were split off into their own companies.
History Store norske leksikon
The timeline by era
- 1596Discovery and whaling, 3 entries
- 1715Hunting and expeditions, 4 entries
- 1905The coal town, 6 entries
- 1920The Svalbard Treaty, 4 entries
- 1941War and rebuilding, 4 entries
- 1975The modern town, 3 entries
- 2015The present transition, 6 entries