Huset marks 75 years since it opened in 1951

Svalbard Museum on Facebook reported on 22 October that Huset, the assembly hall (Forsamlingshuset), is marking its 75th anniversary. It opened on 14 October 1951.

According to the museum, Store Norske (the state-owned mining company) built it on neutral ground. The site lies between the workers' housing areas in Nybyen and Sverdrupbyen, the salaried staff on Haugen and the state employees on Skjeringa.

The hall has held a cinema, a gym, a cafe, a library, a school, a post office and homes for the parish priest and teachers, the museum said. It asked readers to share their memories of Huset.

Coverage: Svalbard Museum on Facebook