Svalbard This week in history, 30 June
2025
Mine 7 closes
Mine 7 near Longyearbyen, the last Norwegian coal mine, was closed on 30 June 2025. Store Norske then turned to property, logistics and energy.
History Store norske leksikon
Wednesday 1 July 2026Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Midnight sun, all 24 hours. The sun sets again 25 August.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
From the timeline, Discovery and whaling
1607
Hudson shows the way for whalers
Only when the Englishman Henry Hudson came to Svalbard in 1607 did people notice the hunting possibilities. English, Dutch, German, French, Danish and Norwegian vessels joined in, and there were several armed clashes between ships from different countries.
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