Ny-Ålesund

Ny-Ålesund is one of the four permanent settlements on Svalbard. It is located on the Brøgger-peninsula at the Kongsfjord. Like the rest of Svalbard, Ny-Ålesund is administered by Norway.

Ny-Ålesund is referred to as the northernmost settlement at 79° north.

Today, it is inhabited by a permanent population of approximately 30–35 persons. All of them are working for one of the research stations or the logistics and supply company "Kings Bay", which owns and runs the town. In the summer the activitiy in Ny-Ålesund is highly increased with up to 120 researchers, technicians, and field assistants.

It is hardly possible to travel to Ny-Ålesund unless you have work to do here. An exception is ship cruises, on which Ny-Ålesund is a typical shore break. However, this tourism may cause interference with the sensitive scientific devices in the settlement, so tourists are closely observed by the local population.

Near Ny-Ålesund there is since 1997 SvalRak a launch sute for sounding rockets.

History

• 1916 founded as a coal mining town
• 1926 Roald Amundsen started his north pole flight with the Airship Norge
• 1962 mining disaster (November, 5) killing 21 people, Norwegian government resigns in august 1963 due to this event, mining discontinued
• 1968 the Norwegian Polar Institute opens a research base
• 1980/90ies other nations increase their scientific activities, rendering Ny-Ålesund to an international Arctic research base

External links

• Webcam in Ny-Ålesund
• Web site of Kings Bay A/S, the local logistics company
• Some photos from Svalbard (tilt-)journey (pictures of Ny-Ålesund)