Barentsburg

Facts last verified 2026-10-02

Barentsburg is a Russian coal-mining town on Grønfjorden, a southern arm of Isfjorden, about 60 km west of Longyearbyen. Unlike Pyramiden, it is a working community: it has an active mine, its own coal-fired power station, and one of Russia’s two consulates general in Norway. It is owned and run by the Russian state-owned company Trust Arktikugol.

A short history

The Dutch company N.V. Nederlandsche Spitsbergen Compagnie bought the site in 1920 and named it after the Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz. In 1932 it was sold to the Soviet state company Arktikugol, which has run it ever since, as a Russian company since the fall of the Soviet Union.

During the Second World War, the population was evacuated to Arkhangelsk in 1941. In 1943 a German naval squadron set the settlement on fire, and the town was more or less razed to the ground.

Barentsburg today

Arktikugol still runs an active coal mine here, though it is increasingly unprofitable, and the mine supplies the local power station. The town has a hospital, hotel, school, kindergarten, and cultural and sports facilities, plus a research station connected to the Kola Science Centre and the Russian Academy of Sciences. A bust of Lenin still looks out across Grønfjorden.

In September 2024 the town had 340 residents: 219 Russian, 62 Tajik, 57 Ukrainian and two of other nationalities. Official population figures count the two Russian settlements together: on 1 January 2026, 392 people were registered as living in Barentsburg and Pyramiden combined.

The Russian consul acts as the local authority and is in regular contact with the Governor of Svalbard.

Why local operators don’t go there

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Visit Svalbard, the joint body for tourism in Svalbard, decided to remove all products, tours and services with any connection to the Russian state-owned companies in Svalbard from its platforms. It no longer offers ordinary tours to Barentsburg or Pyramiden, in summer or winter.

Tourism in the Russian settlements is run by Arctic Travel Company Grumant, which is wholly owned by Arktikugol and, in the local industry’s words, “an extended arm of the Russian state”. Tourism in Barentsburg has fallen sharply as a result of the war.

How long this will last is uncertain, and depends not least on the situation in Ukraine.

Our approach: we follow the local industry. This guide doesn’t list or link to tours, accommodation or services in Barentsburg that are run by Arktikugol or Grumant.

Seeing Barentsburg on a guided trip

There are no roads between Longyearbyen and Barentsburg, but guided snowmobile trips heading west from Longyearbyen pass the town on the way. Routes change with the season and conditions, so ask the local activity providers which trips go past it. The tourist information centre in Longyearbyen can also help (info@visitsvalbard.com, +47 79 02 55 50).

Safety and rules

Barentsburg is well outside the Longyearbyen town limits, so the polar bear rules apply in full. You must carry suitable means of scaring off polar bears, and going with a local guide is strongly recommended. You must keep at least 300 metres from a polar bear, and 500 metres from 1 March to 30 June.

If you plan to travel independently, check whether your route goes outside the travel area around Longyearbyen. If it does, you must apply to the Governor of Svalbard at least four weeks in advance and carry search and rescue insurance. See Polar bear safety and Longyearbyen for details.