Svalbard This week in history, 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
Sunday 21 December 2025Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Polar night, day 56 of 111. 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, War and rebuilding
1943
The September raid
In September 1943 the Germans carried out a large raid on Svalbard with a fleet led by the battleships Tirpitz and Scharnhorst. Barentsburg, Longyearbyen and Grumantbyen were nearly completely razed.
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