Longyearbyen · 78.22 N 15.63 E

Svalbard Wire

Est. 2026

Everything said about Svalbard, in one place

Monday 23 February 2026Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59

Daylight on 23 February: sun 09:27 to 14:58; civil twilight 07:23 to 09:27, 14:58 to 17:02. Daylight 09:27 to 14:58, 5 h 31 min. Midnight sun from 19 April.

Daylight 09:27 to 14:58, 5 h 31 min. Midnight sun from 19 April.

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, The modern town

2002

The local council begins

Longyearbyen lokalstyre was established on 1 January 2002. By then many of the tasks the coal company once handled had passed to other bodies.

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