Barentsburg Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
Russian settlement in Svalbard
About Barentsburg
Barentsburg is named afterDutch explorerWillem Barentsz, who discovered Svalbard in 1596. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 gave the previously unclaimed islands to Norway but allowed any country to perform mining and other economic activity. The Russian state-ownedTrust Arktikugolhas been mining coal here since 1932, and during the Cold War Barentsburg was a hotbed of activity as the Russians attempted to expand their zone of control over the islands. After Pyramiden was closed in 1998, Barentsburg has been the only Russian settlement still operating, with some 470 inhabitants as of 2015, and some 100,000 tons of coal exported yearly. The mine closed in 2006 after concerns about the risk of an underground fire, but resumed production in late 2010. The settlement used to be home to over 1,000 pe
Top Attractions in Barentsburg
Explore the best things to see and do in Barentsburg:
- ★Art Arctic Gallery
- ★Barentsburg Husky Center
- ★Cape Finneset
- ★Cape Heer
- ★Chapel
- ★Fishing
- ★Kayaking
- ★Lenin statue
Where to Stay in Barentsburg
- 🏨Barentsburg Hotel
- 🏨Hostel Pomor
Barentsburg Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 11 sections including: