Longyearbyen pub Karlsberger wins best pub in Norway

Karlsberger Pub in Longyearbyen has won a national contest for the best pub in Norway, NRK reported. Siesta, an NRK programme, announced the result on Friday 13 November.

Ten pubs from across the country took part, and listeners voted for two weeks. Karlsberger won the final against Siste Reis Pub in Halden by 54 to 46, the programme said on air.

The owner, Steve Daldorff Torgersen, told NRK the news reached him midday, with no celebration planned. He had doubted that Svalbard, with about 2,600 permanent residents, could gather enough votes to beat pubs in Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø. He called the win deeply gratifying. An event with a live band was already planned for Saturday, and he intends to turn it into a proper celebration.

Karlsberger has been open since 1998, NRK said. Torgersen has built its character around the mining history of Longyearbyen, with portraits of local miners on the walls. He described the pub as a place that tells the story of the town and as perhaps the most important meeting point for locals and visitors.

On air, Torgersen thanked everyone who voted and the pub's present and former staff, and said the result was built over time.

The winner receives engraved beer mugs, and Siesta will send a live programme from the pub. The hosts said they will try to come before Christmas. Torgersen suggested waiting until after the new year, when the light begins to return: it is dark in Longyearbyen until the beginning of February, he said.

Coverage: NRK