Pyramiden

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

title: "Pyramiden" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["pyramiden", "1910-establishments-in-norway", "company-towns-in-norway", "former-populated-places-in-svalbard", "ghost-towns-in-europe", "mining-communities-in-norway", "russian-diaspora-in-norway", "norway–soviet-union-relations", "populated-places-established-in-1910", "tourist-attractions-in-svalbard"] topic_path: "geography/norway" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramiden" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
namePyramiden
native_nameru
settlement_typeGhost town
image_skylineFile:Piramida Svalbard IMG 7344.JPG
imagesize250
image_captionPyramiden in 2012
pushpin_mapSvalbard
pushpin_label_position
pushpin_mapsize200
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameNorway
subdivision_type1Territory
subdivision_name1Svalbard
subdivision_type2Island
subdivision_name2Spitsbergen
leader_titleAdministration
leader_title1
established_titleFounded
population_as_of2016
population_total6 (During summer)
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_code9179
coordinates
::

|name = Pyramiden |native_name = ru |nickname = |settlement_type = Ghost town |motto = |image_skyline = File:Piramida Svalbard IMG 7344.JPG |imagesize = 250 |image_caption = Pyramiden in 2012 |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |pushpin_map = Svalbard | pushpin_map1 = |pushpin_label_position = |pushpin_map_caption = |pushpin_mapsize = 200 |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Norway |subdivision_type1 = Territory |subdivision_name1 = Svalbard |subdivision_type2 = Island |subdivision_name2 = Spitsbergen |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |government_type = |leader_title = Administration |leader_name = |leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title = Founded |established_date = |established_title1 = |established_date1 = |population_as_of = 2016 |population_total = 6 (During summer) |postal_code_type = Postal code |postal_code = 9179 |area_code = |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Pyramiden_coal_mine_sign.jpg" caption="Миру_—_мир!}}). The phrase was commonly used in Soviet state-owned projects."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Pyramiden_Svalbard_buiobuione.jpg" caption="Company sign"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Pyramiden_case_dei_minatori_buiobuione.jpg" caption="Abandoned buildings"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Pyramiden_palestra_per_i_minatori_buiobuione.jpg" caption="Gym inside the Pyramiden miners' housing complex"] ::

Pyramiden (; Пирами́да; literally 'The Pyramid') is an abandoned Soviet coal mining settlement on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard which has become a tourist destination. Founded by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927, Pyramiden was closed in 1998 and has since remained largely abandoned with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place, the cold climate preserving much of the infrastructure left behind.

Since 2007, there have been efforts to make it a tourist attraction; the town's hotel was renovated and reopened in 2013. In the summer, there is a population of six caretakers.

History

Pyramiden was founded by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927. It lies at the foot of the Billefjorden on the island of Spitsbergen and is named after the pyramid-shaped mountain with the same name adjacent to the town.

Owned by the state-owned Russian mining company Arktikugol, which also owns the settlement of Barentsburg, Pyramiden had 2,500 inhabitants in the 1950s. Among its amenities were a cultural centre with a theater, a library, art and music studios; a sports complex; and a cantina open 24 hours a day. It also had a primary school. The northernmost monument to Vladimir Lenin and the northernmost swimming pool were also found here.

In 1996, a charter flight for Arktikugol crashed on the approach to Svalbard Airport with the loss of 141 lives.

Between 1955 and 1998, as much as nine million tonnes of coal were extracted from the mine. Mining ceased on 31 March 1998 and the settlement closed that same year. The last permanent resident departed on 10 October, leaving Pyramiden as a ghost town.

Until 2007, the former settlement remained uninhabited and largely untouched. The buildings' interiors remained largely as they were when the settlement was abandoned. In 2012, Aleksandr Romanovsky became the first person to return to live in Pyramiden. He has since been joined by five others. Romanovsky, a musician and tour guide in the settlement, has called himself the "world's most northern head-banger". Romanovsky has lived for years on his own in this abandoned town.

On 27 August 2019, the world's northernmost film festival was held in Pyramiden, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Soviet cinema.

In 2022, Russia announced new investment plans to support its presence in Pyramiden and Barentsburg.

Preservation

Pyramiden is accessible by boat or snowmobile from Longyearbyen, either as part of a guided tour or independently. There is also the Pyramiden Heliport. There are no restrictions on visiting Pyramiden, but visitors are not allowed to enter any buildings without permission even if they are open. While most buildings are now locked, breaking into the buildings, vandalism and theft of artefacts have become a serious threat to Pyramiden as it contributes to the accelerating deterioration of the buildings.

Pyramiden is maintained as a tourist destination by Arctic Travel Company Grumant, a division of Arktikugol. Tours through many buildings are available upon request at the Pyramiden Hotel. The movie theatre has been restored to fully functioning, and movies may now be booked on request. An archive of over 1000 Soviet films is preserved in the storerooms on the site.

Since 2007, Arktikugol has been renovating the hotel and upgrading the infrastructure, including building a new power station with diesel generators, in order to accommodate tourists in the old settlement. Up to 30 workers have been living in the settlement year round to maintain the facilities and guide tourists visiting from Longyearbyen.

, the Pyramiden hotel has been reopened and it is possible to stay overnight in Pyramiden. The hotel also houses the Pyramiden Museum as well as a post office and a souvenir shop. There was a small hotel built of old shipping containers near the harbour, but this has closed since the hotel is now renovated and open for guests. There are no plans to renovate and reopen the whole settlement.

In popular culture

On August 2024, the turn-based tactical role-playing video game Reverse: 1999 released an event labelled "Farewell, Rayashki" which takes place in a fictional version of Pyramiden. Similar to the actual town, Rayashki takes place in a coal mining settlement located on an unspecified archipelago far north and managed by the fictional version of the Soviet Union. The event depicts the settlers' struggle in maintaining and uplifting their hometown as it slowly disappears due to exhausting the underground coal reserves.

References

References

  1. "Svalbard and Jan Mayen – pricing and customs rules". [[Posten Bring]].
  2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXwUnp4Yjsw&t Pyramiden 2016 film]
  3. "Pyramiden [78° 39.3' N 16° 20' E]". Norwegian Polar Institute.
  4. [http://popularhistoria.se/artiklar/sveriges-okanda-ockupation/ Sveriges okända ockupation]. Populär Historia, 14 March 2001. {{retrieved
  5. The nearest settlements are [[Svalbard]]'s capital, [[Longyearbyen]], some {{convert. 50. km to the south, [[Barentsburg]] approximately {{convert. 100. km southwest and the small research community of [[Ny-Ålesund]], {{convert. 100. km to the west. In Soviet times, the population was mostly Ukrainian, consisting of miners from the [[Donbas]] and staff from [[Volyn Oblast. Volyn]].. Maxim [Максим Беспалов]. Bespalov. (2017). Tempora
  6. [https://ukr.lb.ua/society/2016/09/22/345871_ostriv_shpitsbergen_mistse_de.html Остров Шпицберген: место, где не рождаются и не умирают люди]
  7. Ham, Anthony. (20 June 2022). "The abandoned Soviet mining town in Norway's Arctic". BBC News.
  8. (March 2015). "The Cold Rim of the World".
  9. Umbreit, Andreas. (2005). "Spitsbergen: Svalbard, Franz Josef, Jan Mayen". Bradt Travel Guides.
  10. {{Cite magazine. Sokolov-Mitrich. Dimitri [Дмитрий Соколов-Митрич]. (22 October 2009). link
  11. (7 December 2017). "Exploring Pyramiden & Barentsburg (Svalbard / Шпицбе́рген)".
  12. "Pyramiden Coal Mine, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway". Mindat.
  13. Nuwer, Rachel. (19 May 2014). "A Soviet Ghost Town in the Arctic Circle, Pyramiden Stands Alone". Smithsonian Magazine.
  14. (2 September 2000). "Pulling out of Pyramiden". BBC News.
  15. Beazley, David. (10 October 2016). "Pyramiden, Population 6: The Soviet ghost town frozen in time".
  16. Beazley, David. (9 May 2016). "Pyramiden: population 6. The Soviet ghost town frozen in time high in the Arctic {{!}} Aeon Videos".
  17. Beazley, David. (4 October 2016). "Pyramiden: population 6".
  18. (26 June 2019). NGS (Shkulev Media Holding). [link](https://news.ngs.ru/more/66137569/ NGS News Report on film festival.)
  19. Rosen, Kenneth. (17 December 2022). "A Battle for the Arctic Is Underway. And the U.S. Is Already Behind.".
  20. "Northernmost movie theater reopens on Spitsbergen".
  21. [http://ruinmemories.org/2012/08/back-in-pyramiden-svalbard/ Back in Pyramiden, Svalbard] {{webarchive. link. (2013-06-18 . Elin Andreassen and Hein B. Bjerck, Ruin Memories. {{retrieved)
  22. "Pyramiden".
  23. link. (29 November 2014 . Svalbardposten, 6 April 2013. {{retrieved)
  24. Reverse: 1999. (2024-08-07). "Version 1.8 Trailer - Farewell, Rayashki {{!}} Reverse: 1999".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

pyramiden1910-establishments-in-norwaycompany-towns-in-norwayformer-populated-places-in-svalbardghost-towns-in-europemining-communities-in-norwayrussian-diaspora-in-norwaynorway–soviet-union-relationspopulated-places-established-in-1910tourist-attractions-in-svalbard