North to Longyearbyen:
Where in the world is Svalbard? Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Situated north of mainland Europe and is about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Archipelago .
On Spitsbergen you find Longyearbyen. We will be flying to Longyearbyen today.
Longyearbyen is the administrative center of Svalbard and holds the title of the world's northernmost permanently inhabited town with a population of over 1,000 residents. Situated on the island of Spitsbergen along the banks of the Adventfjord, it serves as the cultural and economic hub of the high Arctic.
Longyearbyen is very interesting and different:
International Community: Home to roughly 2,400 residents representing over 50 different nationalities.
High Turnover: Around 20% of the population changes every year, with a median stay of just over three years for Norwegians.
Polar Bear Safety: Residents and visitors are required to carry a firearm for protection whenever leaving the town limits.
No Shoes Indoors: A lasting tradition from its historical coal-mining days requires people to remove their shoes when entering hotels, restaurants, and public buildings.
Unique Regulations: To preserve the local ecosystem, cat ownership is banned. Additionally, due to permafrost preventing decomposition and the lack of advanced medical infrastructure, dying in the town is legally forbidden.
Last night I was really fighting the Sandman as the eyelids were heavy as I finished and published yesterdays entry.
Having slept a good bit, I still have found myself up early wanting to get this day lived in. It is about 0350 hrs at this moment. Lynn is still sleeping, and the coffee is on. I guess I am like a kid the night before Christmas too excited to sleep.
Checking the Longyearbyen weather, I am anticipating the temperatures to be form a low 40’s to a high in the low 50’s, mostly clear skies and calm seas. Then again it is the arctic at about 78’ North
Morning plan is to clean up and have breakfast, then pack up our bags for the days travel.
The day should be pretty darn simple, as all we really have is our flight to Longyearbyen. The flight is on SAS leaving at 1450. The flight should take about 3.5 hours. We will arrive in Longyearbyen and get a bus to our hotel for the next two nights. The Funken Lodge is where we will be for two nights.
We have been told we will get further information about our stay in Longyearbyen when we check into our hotel.
Longyearbyen’s enterprising spirit has seen the town through many changes. Whalers first fished its icy shores in the early-17th century, and, in 1896, Hurtigruten (then Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab) brought tourists to visit Svalbard. The founder of Hurtigruten, Captain Richard With, even shipped an entire hotel here to house the visitors who were as curious then as we are now about a land so far north.
It wasn’t until 1898 that two families spent the whole winter here. A year later, the first commercially viable coal was mined and coal mining began in earnest in 1901. The industry transformed Longyearbyen into a bustling company town, and modeled other mining towns such as the now-abandoned Pyramiden, to the northeast.
During World War II, German forces scorched the earth of Longyearbyen, leaving only four buildings standing. Post-war rebuilding and the migration of mining outside city limits in the 1990s paved the way for modern industries like tourism, Arctic exploration and climate research.
Today, Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost settlement with a population over 1,000. The Midnight Sun, stark beauty and unique wildlife that surround it draw people from all over the world; it helps that citizens of countries that signed the Svalbard Treaty can live and work in the archipelago indefinitely.
As a result, Longyearbyen is very multicultural, and a hub for scientists, adventurers and tourists. Film crews have even used it as a base for blockbusters like Mission: Impossible 8. The iconic Global Seed Vault is perched on a hill overlooking the town, plays a vital role in preserving the planet’s biodiversity.
Upon arrival we will get a picture of the milepost sign at the airport and the polar bear that will greet us. :) These are the classic photo ops. Arrived in plenty of time to checkin, security, get a bite to eat, passport control and be at our gate.
The flight was nothing really different. Landed at Longyearbyen and collected our luggage and were were assigned a bus to take us to the Funken Lodge. We checked in and got sorta together for our stay here at the Funken Lodge. I think the Funken Lodge has some pretty KEWL!!! History.
Funken`s history:
After World War II, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani A/S (SNSK) started a large-scale rebuilding of Longyearbyen. One focus of the new town was a group of buildings at the foot of Gruve 2 (Mine 2) – Nybyen.
Five barracks were built during the summer and autumn of 1946, each to house 72 men in 36 two-man rooms and a Foreman's mess. Stormessa and the women's house, Jomfruburet (The virgin cage), were finished in 1947. The year after, a bath, laundry, pump station and shop were also built. The responsible architect was Jacob Olav Martin Hanssen (1892 – 1962), who also designed the Colosseum Cinema in Oslo. Under the employ of SNSK he drew up the plans for the buildings on Haugen, Forsamlingshuset and many of the buildings in Nybyen.
During the summer of 1946, Haugen also saw its first buildings. These included three houses for four people, and the foundations for the reception building (now known as Funken), hospital and offices were set down. These buildings were completed in 1947.
June 11, 1953, a large avalanche swept down Vannledningsdalen. Three people were killed and the buildings of Haugen were more or less flattened. The avalanche destroyed the hospital, family housing and parts of the reception building. On the very day of the avalanche, brand new furniture had been moved into the main reception wing, and it was all destroyed. After the avalanche the reception building was rebuilt and extended.
The reception building, 'Funktionærmessa' (commonly known as Funken), was also home to the unmarried administrative staff. Funken had separate corridors for the women and men with single rooms, shared sitting rooms, salons, and billiard and table tennis rooms. Here the staff enjoyed a dining room with chefs, cleaners and waiters. The reception area of the building, called 'Repen' was located through the salons with its own dining area as well as several guest rooms.
The cellar was also full of facilities. Here there were separate showers and bathrooms for each sex, as well as a sauna. There was a laundry with communal washing machines, spin-dryers, rollers and drying cupboards, which were also shared with the families living on Haugen. The cellar corridor was used as an indoor shooting range, perhaps rather carefully, given that 'Nordpolet', SNSK's alcohol store, was also located in the cellar, with many rare vintage wines that were served on special occasions.
'Nordpolet' was located in Funken's cellar until Svalbardbutikken moved into the new town centre in March 1992. The cellar was also home to a milk room, where those who lived on Haugen could collect their quota. This continued until 1985 when the fresh produce store opened.
Funken was home to the social activities and entertainment for the administrative staff, hosting everything from bridge evenings to themed parties. Locals still tell stories about the time a skiing competition was held in the kitchen staircase, from the loft to the cellar. As part of another celebration, a trapper’s cabin was built in the salon. All the important social events took place here, from stiff, formal dinners with official guests from the mainland to boisterous Christmas parties for the staff.
Until 1985, three full meals were served each day at Funken. At that stage, many of the staff had moved out, but came back here for their meals. The office workers at SNSK's administration building on Haugen had lunch at Funken each day. The very last of the permanent administrative staff moved out in 1985, and since then the building has been used for accommodation of visitors, firstly those visiting SNSK, and more recently tourists.
After running Funken for several years, Hurtigruten Svalbard AS bought the building from SNSK in 1993. A major refurbishment began immediately, including the building of a new wing and an additional entrance, reception, communal areas, lift, bar and 20 first class double rooms. During the winter of 1996-97 the original wing was completely renovated, and with its unique suites and themed rooms, as well as the original salons and sitting room. During the same period, five new double rooms and a relaxation department were built on the ground floor of the new wing.
During the autumn of 2017, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the building, Hurtigruten Svalbard decided to pursue a major renovation of Funken, returning it to its place as the most elegant building in Longyearbyen. We have managed to find the perfect balance between history and modernity. To enhance its exclusivity, all the rooms, dining options, and facilities have been renewed at a premium level, reflecting the strong historical and cultural charm of the building, combined with a touch of sophistication, innovation and originality.
In our room on the bed were tote bags. Inside the bags were coupons for local businesses, drink coupons, a map and information about our activities for the next two days.
Tonight a bus will pick us up and take us to Huset Restaurant. This was a nice buffet meal.
We were some of the first folks to finish our meal and there was a long wait for the bus to return us to the Funken Lodge. Not wanting to wait we decided to walk back.
The walk back took us about 30 minutes and we did make a stop to photo a reindeer who was lounging and munching away.
About 11,000 steps today.
Time to call it a day and get some sleep as we have some exploring to do tomorrow.
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