One of the most unusual cities, or rather settlements, is Barentsburg, located in the Arctic, on the island of Spitsbergen. In 1596, the largest of the islands in the Svalbard archipelago was discovered by the Dutch explorer and navigator Willem Barents. Since the beginning of the 1930s, however, Russians and Ukrainians have also lived in Spitsbergen, because it was the time when the Soviet Union bought the concession belonging to the Dutch company with the aim of extracting coal. Therefore, all these years, Barentsburg and today the almost uninhabited village of Piramida belong to Russia. Also in Spitsbergen, you can visit the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen, the northernmost settlement.
parts of Russia and Norway
Today Spitsbergen seems especially interesting to tourists who come there and often compare the Norwegian Longyearbyen with the Russian Barentsburg. Despite the fact that Barentsburg is located so far north and inaccessible to most of its compatriots, it does not lag behind the average Russian city with all its most characteristic features. For example, four-story block houses, which today are improved or covered with colored panels made in China – the material intended for building insulation. Or the cracked concrete tiles used to cover pedestrian streets throughout the Soviet Union.
The sole owner of Barentsburg and the Pyramid is the Russian mining company “Арктикуголь”, founded in 1931, which, in addition to coal mines, owns both tourist and infrastructural facilities, including housing stock. It should be noted that the population is decreasing year by year: the miners have left the village of Piramida, because the mine was closed in 1998 due to high maintenance costs. Barentsburg currently has just under 500 inhabitants. For comparison, Longyearbyen has a population of 2,417, but this city is larger in terms of land area. The two settlements are separated by 40 kilometers.
Connection with the ballerina Plisecka
Speaking of Barentsburg, the most interesting thing about its history is the fact that Maija Plisetska lived here for several years. “In 1932, the father of the future ballerina became the consul general in Barentsburg and came here with the whole family. Plisecki has fond memories of this cold and dusty land with reckless skiing, the return of light in March and his first role on stage .” (Source: Mazsīle-Lagzdiņa A. Svalbāra.// Latvija Amerika, No. 18., 06.05.2006.) The extraordinary life in the Arctic for the Plisecki family ended in 1936, when they were hit by Stalin’s repressions after a busy schedule .
Don’t forget to bring your rifle!
Remember to take your firearm with you when you go out. Most often this is a shotgun, which will come in handy in cases where a polar bear is coming towards you. Such a possibility is not an exception in Spitsbergen, because there are more bears than people! The famous blogger Ilya Varlamov found out during his journey through the Arctic that today there are about 3,000 inhabitants in Spitsbergen, but there are a thousand more bears. Road signs with the image of a wild animal also warn of the possibility of meeting a polar bear. It’s funny, but the image of this beast on the signs on the Russian side is different from the one on the road signs on the Norwegian side. In Barentsburg, signs depicting a polar bear (whose units have been counted) look suspiciously similar to the logo of the United Russia party.
Returning to the story about rifles and other firearms, it should be added that when you come to the door of a shop or cafe, you will notice on it an indication that you must leave the weapon with the seller immediately upon entering the establishment. This applies to the Norwegian city of Longyearbyen, because there are no bars or small shops in Russian Barentsburg. The vast majority of institutions here are closed, but unlike their “sorrow sisters” in other regions of Russia, they are at least not so vandalized. To be completely fair, it should be clarified that there is still a small shop in Barentsburg, but, just like on the Norwegian side, its prices will unpleasantly surprise you. All items are very expensive! In the Barentsburg shop, prices are indicated in both Norwegian kroner and Russian ruble, but you can only pay in kroner. Rubles are not accepted here. Alcohol can be purchased in limited quantities in both Barentsburg and Longyearbyen. To check this, people are issued special vouchers. Oh yes, there is also a tavern in Barentsburg, as the name suggests: “The Red Bear”.
Although prices in Spitsbergen are extremely high compared to Europe, a coal miner working in Barentsburg earns more than $1,000 a month. The salary sounds attractive, but it’s a low-paying profession that’s in high demand these days.
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