Longyearbyen · 78.22 N 15.63 E

Svalbard Wire

Est. 2026

Everything said about Svalbard, in one place

Wednesday 19 November 2025Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59

Daylight on 19 November: none, polar night, day 24. Polar night, day 24 of 111. The sun returns 15 February.

Polar night, day 24 of 111. The sun returns 15 February.

Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.

History

The island's past

From the timeline, War and rebuilding

1941

The mines stop and people leave

The Norwegian and Soviet mines were put out of operation in the summer of 1941 and the population was evacuated, the Russians to Arkhangelsk and the Norwegians to Scotland. The Germans kept a small force in Longyearbyen until it was evacuated in July 1942.

History Store norske leksikon

The timeline by era

  1. 1596Discovery and whaling, 3 entries
  2. 1715Hunting and expeditions, 4 entries
  3. 1905The coal town, 6 entries
  4. 1920The Svalbard Treaty, 4 entries
  5. 1941War and rebuilding, 4 entries
  6. 1975The modern town, 3 entries
  7. 2015The present transition, 6 entries

Open the history of Svalbard, 30 entries in 7 eras