Mine visit

When venturing around the places where people live and have lived here in Svalbard you’d be hard pressed to not notice any traces of mining activity. The hunt for “the black gold”, the coal inside of Svalbard’s mountains, provided a basis on which mining settlements could be established in Svalbard and lead to people becoming permanent residents of Svalbard in recent history.
The cableway towers in between the buildings of Longyearbyen, the old railway between Grumant and Coles Bay, and many other sights are constant reminders of the old mining industry in Svalbard and the archipelago's industrial history.

“If there is one man to whom I do feel myself inferior, it is a coal-miner.” wrote George Orwell in his book The road to Wigan Pier in admiration of coal-miners and their hard work.
For most people it can be difficult to imagine what it was like to work in the mines back in the day, nevertheless how it’s like to work in the mines now. But here in Svalbard you’ll be able to get an impression of this yourself by visiting a mine together with a local guide.

In Longyearbyen you can join a guided visit in Mine 3 where machines and equipment still remains from when the mine was shut down in 1996. This mine is located just outside of the town and had a low working height of no more than 60-90cm, which meant that old-fashioned methods had to be applied to extract the coal.

Venture into the mountains, experience the unique atmosphere as you shine your way through the mining tunnels, and get a first-hand feel for Svalbard’s industrial history!