Nybyen is a small settlement located on the southern outskirts of Longyearbyen, on the island of

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern N ...

, in the Svalbard archipelago of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The name is

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and translates as ''The New Town''.

History and features

The settlement was founded in 1946-47 for the miners of "mine 2B" (later named Julenissegruva, "Santa Claus Mine"), one of the area's many coal mines. During the second half of the 20th century the "New Town" became a notable part of Longyearbyen, with the town's only shop for a period, though commercial activity has moved back down the valley. Today its character reflects that of Svalbard's more mixed economy (tourism, research and mining) with two guesthouses (''Guesthouse 102'' and ''Spitsbergen Guesthouse'') utilising the former miners' barracks, as well as being home to the Svalbard Art Gallery & Craft Centre, and nearby is the ''Huset'' restaurant, club and cinema. Most students at the

University Centre in Svalbard The University Centre in Svalbard ( no, Universitetssenteret på Svalbard AS; UNIS) is a Norwegian state-owned limited company that is involved in research and provides some higher education in Arctic studies. The company is wholly owned by the ...

(UNIS) lived in six renovated mining barracks in Nybyen. However, since the opening of new student housing in the centre of Longyearbyen, the students no longer live here.

Geography

Nybyen is situated in the upper part of the

Longyear Valley The Longyear Valley ( no, Longyeardalen) is a valley and ravine in Svalbard. It slightly winds WNW ending in Adventfjorden, facing west, the broadest inlet of Spitsbergen, the main landmass. It has a few wind gaps to the south and north-east ...

, about uphill from the centre of Longyearbyen, at an altitude of around .Svalbard interactive map
Nybyen falls within the community of Longyearbyen (incorporated in 2002) though it is somewhat detached from the town. Between the two settlements is the Longyearbyen School.

Svalbard Airport Svalbard Airport ( no, Svalbard lufthavn; ) is the main airport serving Svalbard in Norway. It is northwest of Longyearbyen on the west coast, and is the northernmost airport in the world with scheduled public flights. The first airport near ...

is away and there is a shuttle bus between the airport and the guesthouses. To the south, is a prominent hill named Sarkofagen ("

Sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Gre ...

") which rises to .

Sverdrupbyen

To the west, just on the other side of the river, is a place called Sverdrupbyen, named after

Einar Sverdrup Einar Sverdrup (18 December 1895 – 13 May 1942) was a Norwegian mining engineer and businessman. He was the CEO of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, operating at Svalbard. When the integrity of Svalbard was threatened during World War I ...

(1895–1942), the managing director of the mining company

Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK), or simply Store Norske, is a Norwegian coal mining company based on the Svalbard archipelago. It was formed in 1916, after a Norwegian purchase of the American Arctic Coal Company (ACC). The company ...

. He was the leader of

Operation Fritham Operation Fritham (30 April – 14 May 1942) was an Allied military operation during the Second World War to secure the coal mines on Spitsbergen, the main island of the Svalbard Archipelago, from the North Pole and about the same distance ...

in World War II, but died in the course of that operation, which attempted to secure Svalbard for the Allies. Nybyen is sometimes alternatively known as Østre Sverdrupbyen ("East Sverdrupbyen").Gezgeen
et al. Most buildings in Sverdrupbyen, including those of Mine 1B, were destroyed in a fire drill in the 1980s before they became protected under the cultural heritage preservation law.

References

External links

UNIS
— Map of Longyearbyen and Nybyen
Guesthouse 102
— History and information about Nybyen {{authority control Longyearbyen Populated places established in 1946 Populated places in Svalbard 1946 establishments in Norway