Svalbard From the timeline, The coal town
1905
Longyear City is founded
Longyearbyen was laid out in 1905 by the American company Arctic Coal Co. It was first called Longyear City, after the company founder John Munro Longyear.
History Store norske leksikon
Thursday 8 January 2026Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Polar night, day 74 of 111. The sun returns 15 February.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
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