Ny-Ålesund – the northernmost settlement in the world

At the top of the world, just 1,200km from the North Pole, Ny-Ålesund is the world’s northernmost settlement. It sits on the north-facing shore of Kongsfjord on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago.

In the past, explorers and miners formed unique communities here. Now, it’s the scientists’ turn; Ny-Ålesund is a renowned international centre for climate change research projects.

Known as Kings Bay until 1925, the tiny town of Ny-Ålesund started life as a mining town in 1916. Coal was transported by train from the pits to the ships waiting in the bay. Those cargo boats had just a small window of a few months to collect their haul before the ice crept over Kongsfjord during the Arctic winter.

Throughout the coal mining era, Arctic explorers who wanted to reach the North Pole used Ny-Ålesund as a base for their adventures. In 1926, Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth, and the Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile flew the airship Norge from Ny-Ålesund across the Arctic Ocean. It was the first flight over the top of the world.

Two years later, Nobile returned to Ny-Ålesund to fly over the North Pole again, this time in an Italian airship. The team crashed north of Svalbard and an injured Nobile and half of his crew were later rescued. Tragically, Amundsen, the Norwegian hero he was, jumped in a seaplane to help find his friend, but perished in the rescue, cutting short his illustrious life as one of the world’s most famous explorers.

The mining community continued to scratch a living here until 1963 when, after a series of disasters claimed too many lives, the mines were finally deemed too dangerous and closed down.

The end of mining wasn’t the end of Ny-Ålesund. As the mines disappeared, the European Research Organisation chose the location as a centre for research. In 2019, the Research Council of Norway championed the town to become a leading centre for Arctic research activities. At the same time, the Council agreed to preserve Ny-Ålesund’s unique cultural heritage.

Visit Ny-Ålesund today and among Svalbard’s largest collection of protected buildings you’ll find a vital hub for international research across 11 stations, each complete with modern high-tech lab equipment for analysing various fields of glaciology, oceanography, geology, physics, and biology.

The Ny-Ålesund Research Station houses 35 hardcore residents year round, with another 60 scientists joining them from around the world during the summer months. The Norwegian Polar Institute, run by Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment, is responsible for hosting and coordinating their research and activities.

Ny-Ålesund is a true frontier; both as far north as many of us will ever visit, and pushing the frontline of science and knowledge ever forward. There really is nowhere else like it on Earth.

From November to the end of January, the sun stays below the horizon all day and Ny-Ålesund surrenders to the dark. But as temperatures start to rise and daylight returns, the sea ice recedes enough for us to explore the archipelago’s fjords once again. The Svalbard Line visits Ny-Ålesund from May to September.

During these summer months, the sun never dips below the horizon and temperatures can reach four degrees, but you’ll still need sturdy boots, a warm coat, gloves, and a hat to be comfortable, as well as a good pair of sunglasses.

The long hours of daylight make it the ideal time to spot the wildlife of this northern wilderness. You may be lucky enough to see humpback or beluga whales, walruses, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer and even a polar bear, as well as the many species of seabirds that breed in the area.