Ny-Ålesund

During our journey north, we read Monica Christensen's book about the Kings Bay case. This made coming to Ny-Ålesund, where the drama unfolded, incredibly exciting.

Following the mining accidents, the last of which occurred in 1962, mining operations here were shut down the following year. Now, it is researchers from many different countries who dominate here.

Eager to discover the location of the 1962 tragedy, Estergruva, we set off on our expedition despite the damp weather on Saturday. Our first stop was the memorial stone erected in honour of all those who lost their lives in the mines. No fewer than 84 men!

In many ways, it was sad to see the entire area where the mine entrances and structures once stood demolished and left as scrap. But that was probably how people thought before. The mess should be demolished when it is no longer in use. Leaving it open and accessible would also pose a certain danger.

The photo below was taken from the location of the last accident, with the remains of the mine entrances and tips in the foreground.

It was a special moment to stand here knowing that 11 men still lie deep inside this mountain. The night shift at the Ester mine on that fateful evening consisted of 21 men. All of them perished. Ten of them were later found and brought to the surface and sent home to their respective hometowns, where they were buried. However, 11 of them were never found. They were buried so deep in the mine that it was too risky for rescue workers to retrieve them. Once the rescue operation had concluded, the mine was flooded. It is now believed that most of the tunnels have collapsed, sealing off the mine completely.

We found a few structures that were still standing relatively intact. There is a warming hut at the foot of Zeppelinerfjellet, and a bridge a little further down.

Ny-Ålesund has been the starting point for several expeditions to the North Pole and other Arctic missions, including Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth's 1925 journey with the N 24 and N 25 Air ships, the 1926 airship Norge expedition, and Umberto Nobile's 1928 airship Italia mission.

There is a memorial to Roald Amundsen here in Ny-Ålesund. The house in which he lived while preparing his expeditions is still standing, as is the large mast to which the airship Norge was moored prior to its journey across the North Pole.

Today, Ny-Ålesund is primarily a research base, but there was also hectic construction and restoration work on the various buildings.

The settlement itself was characterised by many new buildings, while many of the old houses were being maintained. It seemed that everything was in order here. After all, this is the world's most northerly permanent settlement, with around 30 people spending the winter here.

Due to its location in the Arctic Circle, the site is primarily used for environmental and climate research, although other studies have also been conducted here. For example, this young Dutch female reseracher herded a small flock of barnacle goose chicks in order to study their nutrition and diet preferences.

Some young researchers had just arrived, and a bathing ceremony was taking place to mark the occasion. Judging by their accents, they were from many different countries. Bathing in ice chunks from the surrounding glaciers is probably a novel experience for everyone.

On Saturday evenings, people gathered in the old grain store, now converted into a café and pub. It was crowded, but there was a good atmosphere throughout the evening.

The Sysselmann boat, Nordsyssel, came by for a visit for the very last time. A new Sysselmann boat is currently being built and is expected to enter service in the early summer of next year.

Not everyone uses expedition-type boats for travelling around here. This was one of only two cabin cruisers that we saw on our entire trip.

The couple who owned this boat, Tommy and Urika, were from Longyearbyen. We got to know them a little and found that they were very experienced travellers around Svalbard in both summer and winter. They were very nice and, on Saturday afternoon, we invited them on board for a glass of wine before dinner.

They gave us lots of useful information, not to mention dramatic but also comical bear stories. We laughed until we cried when Ulrika vividly recounted a visit from a bear while she was sleeping on the roof of a cabin. It still remains unclear who was more frightened, her or the bear.

We stayed in Ny-Ålesund until Monday morning. Then we continued our journey north to Magdalene Fjord and Trinityhamna.