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Longyearbyen travel

Blog / 11/17/2024

Longyearbyen has a very peculiar natural phenomenon, which is also the northernmost city on the earth. There are no deaths and newborn babies here. This custom is caused by special geographical and climatic reasons, and there are rare extreme days and nights. Let's share the travel strategy and visa strategy of Longyearbyen.

At 78 degrees north latitude, only 1300 kilometers from the North Pole, there is a unique city.

It is not only the closest city to the North Pole in the world, but also prohibits people from being born and dying! This city is Longyearbyen on the Nordic island.

Longyearbyen visa ticket introduction:

Although Svalbard belongs to Norwegian overseas territory, it does not belong to Schengen District, and it is visa-free for China passport.

But! To Svalbard, you can only fly from Oslo or Tromso. Entry into Schengen is necessary, and counting the round trip, you need more than two Schengen visas. It is said that you can sign in here by boat from the northern border of Russia ... but it is too small to mention it.

For air tickets, friends studying in Europe can pay more attention to the youth tickets in SAS and the special tickets in norwegian air shuttle, and they will definitely find a good price ticket more than one month in advance, but the time may not be very free.

Longyearbyen travel guide:

Longyearbyen, Longyearbyen, also known as Longyearbyen, is located on Spitsbergen, the largest island in Svalbard, Norway, and is known as the northernmost city in the world.

As of December 2015, the population of this area was 2,144, with more than 1,000 permanent residents. But you know what? There are more polar bears here than people, almost more than 5000! In Longyearbyen, signs and souvenirs of polar bears can be seen everywhere, and even local street signs say "Be careful with polar bears" instead of "Be careful with vehicles". I'm afraid this is unique in the world.

Because it is located in the Arctic Circle, Longyearbyen enters the extreme night from the end of November to the middle of February every year, and the whole city is in cold and darkness.

And every year from mid-April to mid-August is an extreme day. I wonder what it's like for people there to live in extreme day and night?

It is not surprising that there are more polar bears than people in the northernmost part of the world, and there are extreme days and nights for several months every year.

The strangest thing is the "no death" policy implemented by Longyearbyen, which prohibits people from dying and having children! It is said that Longyearbyen Hospital has only eight beds for first aid.

Unless there is sudden death, those seriously ill or terminally ill patients must leave Longyearbyen for treatment or cultivation in hospitals in Norway. Old people who cannot take care of themselves after retirement must leave;

Pregnant women must also leave here one month before giving birth. The only cemetery in the city stopped accepting new burials as early as 70 years ago.

It is a natural phenomenon to get sick and die. Many people will be surprised when they first hear about the "no death" policy of Longyearbyen, and even think that Longyearbyen is an inhuman and wonderful city. In fact, this is determined by the harsh local living conditions.

As mentioned earlier, Longyearbyen is located in the Arctic Circle, where it is freezing and snowy all the year round. Because of the low temperature, the surface is basically frozen soil, and the body will hardly rot naturally.

Therefore, as long as the patient is still alive, he has to leave Longyearbyen. But why do pregnant women have to leave before giving birth? Little Travel Rabbit didn't find relevant information.

John Longyear, an American, can be said to be an extremely important figure in Longyearbyen. In 1906, he led his Arctic coal company to start coal mining here, and Longyearbyen City was gradually formed.

The city was almost destroyed in 1943 and rebuilt after World War II. Up to now, the mining industry is still an important economic pillar of Longyearbyen. It is said that the local area still retains a habit of miners' life in their early years: when entering churches, houses, schools and museums, they have to take off their shoes in the lobby.

With the development of tourism and people's curiosity, many tourists choose to travel to Longyearbyen in spring and summer.

Because it is a person's journey and I stayed in a homestay, I have had a lot of exchanges with local people in just three days, and found that in this magical city, I can get more interesting information by communicating with people. Grandma Denmark, who has lived here for 21 years, is about to return to China; Miss Poland, who has just arrived, is cute and playful; Brother Germany, who has followed his Norwegian girlfriend and brought some dogs across the ocean from the mainland; enthusiastic Filipino crew; and American landlord who loves heavy metals.

Speaking of which, you may have found that people from all over the world really live here like the United Nations, but the number of Chinese people is still very rare. I only met one in three days.

Speaking of the interesting things about this city, I have to mention a few points:

1. Birth and death are forbidden in Longyearbyen. Pregnant women before delivery and seriously ill elderly people will be sent back to Norway. Because scientists have found that in this place where the frozen soil is everywhere, the body can't rot, and the virus will remain forever. Because of the frozen soil, the underground material will move up slowly, so burial is also unrealistic. (These are all from Miss Polish, if I understand correctly, that's right.) There are several cemeteries in the north of the city, which are places where several miners buried their bones in the early years. On a regular basis, people from the city will be sent to dig deeper and arrange them again.

2. Longyearbyen is a city of miners. When you enter churches, schools, museums and houses, you have to take off your shoes in the lobby, which is also a habit of miners in their early years.

3. This is a city of polar bears. There are more polar bears in the whole archipelago than permanent residents, so you often have to follow a guide with a gun when you leave the city.

May the friends who are leaving see and hear more interesting things about this city with their own eyes.

Even from Oslo, it takes three hours to get here. Norwegian air shuttle's on-board wifi is quite awesome. Open Google Maps and Compass, and watch yourself rise to an altitude of 10,000 meters, pass by the fjord, pass by Tromso, Aurora City, and leap out of Eurasia.

Eurasia, goodbye ~!

Arrive at the nearest civil airport to the North Pole.

When you arrive at the baggage claim area at Svalbard Longyear Airport, you will see the iconic animal here-the polar bear.

By the way, the number of polar bears on this island is about 3,000, but the number of residents is less than 3,000, which is known as "there are more bears than people".

However, according to local people, polar bears prefer to eat marine life and hate the sound of automobile machinery, so there is almost no chance of meeting them in the city.

Everything is thousands of miles away.

Airport buses are all synchronized with flights. After all, this is really a small airport (there seems to be only one runway, and all take-off and landing are one ...). You can get to the city by paying 75NOK after getting on the bus ~

From downtown to the airport, it is more than 2 hours in advance. Just wait for the airport bus at the entrance of the hotel.

Longyearbyen took a panoramic view of the old city while it was still dark.

Longyearbyen is not allowed to carry a gun into the bank.

Welcome to Longyearbyen, the northernmost ATM in ..................................!

Longyearbyen North Korea has unparalleled influence and can be tied with the Norwegian flag.

The interior of the world's northernmost church in Longyearbyen is empty and there is no one there.

It's warm and reassuring.

Far away from Longyearbyen is the northernmost university center in the world, which is said to belong to Tromso University. Do interested students want to apply for exchange students?

Seriously, the good friends of my French neighbors at school exchanged here last year, and it is said that they also got a Norwegian girlfriend.

Miners' landmark in the center of Longyearbyen.

The polar bear in the shop, I didn't know it was a real polar bear until the last day. ...

At five o'clock in the afternoon, I found a restaurant Kroa, which was "the best in his heart" under the recommendation of the landlord, but it was really delicious, with local beer and whale meat. As I spent the night at the airport the day before, I was exhausted physically and mentally. I went back to my house after dinner and fell asleep.

By the way, airbnb was chosen for this trip. The price is slightly more expensive than that of youth travel and much cheaper than that of hotels. There is a separate single room, and the landlord is also very kind and enthusiastic. It is worth recommending!

On the second day of the deep-sea voyage, I set foot on the trip to sea early in the morning.

By the way, the local tours here are basically registered online (I am in visitsvalbard) or in the city, and the steps are simple. Because of my short schedule, I reported all day trips. If you are friends with abundant time and money ... Well, the latter is more important! Strong Amway route around the island! After staying for 2 nights, the landlord praised the route with me every day, and his tenants praised everything they had been to. Because if you don't go to more inaccessible places, many scenery will be invisible. For example, whales emerging from the sea, polar bears foraging for food, lazy walruses and lively arctic foxes, but if you set foot on that route, everything will become a reality, and you will envy it if you think about it. (But I missed the boat ticket, which seems to be tens of thousands. Um ... I have nothing to do.

October has begun to approach the polar night season, and it doesn't begin to dawn until nine in the morning.

Our route is from Longyearbyen to Barents Castle, a small Russian camp in Svalbard.

There are about a dozen tourists in the group, all of whom are Europeans and the crew are Filipinos.

The guide on board is a Danish grandmother and a Swiss brother who only tells jokes. Brother Switzerland is from Bourne, and we all admire that he must be very rich. The little brother pointed to the Norwegian old man and said helplessly, people say that Norway and Switzerland are the richest countries in the world, but it is obvious that they are much richer than us. Then he told us that although there are many people with guns in this city, it seems that many people don't know how to use them very well. It's really a good thing to meet a wild animal.

At the height of the storm, I was standing alone on the deck, and grandma from Denmark came to ask me if I was in a bad mood.

At that time, the two chatted for a long time. Just now, I know that she has lived here for 21 years. This day is her penultimate guide life, and she will leave for Denmark in two days, this time for good.

"It is said that there was an aurora last night, but I went to bed too early to see it. I hope I can see it tonight."

"I want to see it, too. It may be the last aurora I saw in Svalbard."

Half of my life is in this far north land, which is really a different life.

The kiss between the sea and the sky made me look a little puzzled.

Whale meat turned out to be like this.

Arrived in Barents Castle, the Russian camp. Russian tourists come here to find that they can actually receive Russian signals (but this is still Norwegian territory) ....

Night tour doomsday seed bank was idle at night, so I signed up for a night tour doomsday seed bank. It is said that the seeds of millions of crops have been collected here, which is called Noah's Ark of agriculture.

Outside the wilderness, it coincides with the outbreak of aurora.

The first time I saw Aurora, why was the photography level too bad?

For those who want to see the aurora, it is not that the farther north, the better the effect. Svalbard is too far north, so it is beyond the aurora belt. The best viewing spot in northern Europe is Tromso.

Bear infestation attention!

Doomsday seed bank for disaster prevention, earthquake prevention and nuclear bomb prevention

Take a bag of samples back to school and plant them?

On the third day of glacier hiking, take part in glacier hiking.

The guide is a German elder brother, and there is a German female tourist besides me. Both of them speak English all the time and rarely speak German, which is really touching.

This day's trip is just like brushing a copy. On the 8-hour road, I didn't see a living person.

Up the hill, ready to start a glacier trip.

In the distance are the Aurora Observatory and Meteorological Observatory. It is said that Nazi Germany occupied Svalbard for this purpose during World War II. (It's not too far ...)

The endless rubble, large and small, stumbles a little at every step.

The ice can be so beautiful.

Simple lunch

Three people and one dog, the end of the world.

Tie up spikes to walk a little more steadily on the ice.

A funny story happened here.

German brother wants to tie a seat belt between me and him. In order to ensure my safety, he was moved to death.

... and then I didn't expect Big Brother to slip off a 20-meter-high glacier carelessly ... Well ... I was naturally picked up ... The big dog's loyal savior jumped on me and slipped down together, licking my face all the time.

Fortunately, there is a thick layer of snow under the glacier, and everyone is safe.

So if girls want to participate in this project, they still have to think about it in advance.

A world of ice and snow

Love dogs, good youth.

Go from dawn to dark.

The first time I went to the North Pole, I ate whale meat for the first time, I saw the aurora for the first time, and I played in the wilderness for the first time. It was still a real-life snow version.

I am a lazy person and always think that writing travel notes is a waste of time.

But I don't know why, for this land, this city, there is a strong desire in my heart to record it.

Spitsbergen has more beautiful scenery waiting for you.

Mention a few points:

1. Birth and death are forbidden in Longyearbyen. Pregnant women before delivery and seriously ill elderly people will be sent back to Norway. Because scientists have found that in this place where the frozen soil is everywhere, the body can't rot, and the virus will remain forever. Because of the frozen soil, the underground material will move up slowly, so it is unrealistic to bury it. (These are all from Miss Polish, if I understand correctly, that's right.) There are several cemeteries in the north of the city, which are places where several miners buried their bones in the early years. On a regular basis, people from the city will be sent to dig deeper and arrange them again.

2. Longyearbyen is a city of miners. When you enter churches, schools, museums and houses, you have to take off your shoes in the lobby, which is also a habit of miners in their early years.

3. This is a city of polar bears. There are more polar bears in the whole archipelago than permanent residents, so you often have to follow a guide with a gun when you leave the city.

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