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
Thursday 2 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
1610
Coal is seen in Kongsfjorden
The English whaler Jonas Poole found coal deposits in the Ny-Ålesund area in 1610. Mining there did not begin until 1916.
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