Barentsberg is a Russian mining town located on the eastern side of the Grønfjorden. It is the only remaining Russian settlement in Svalbard, a group of islands located between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea. The islands are directly North of (and since 1920 an integrated part of) Norway.
Barentsberg has a small tourism industry with a hotel, a souvenir shop and a museum. The Russian architecture in the town is a highlight of a visit to Barentsberg. The scenery around the town is amazing, with an abundance of wildlife, including Arctic Terns, Skuas, Arctic Fox, Svalbard Reindeer and Polar Bears.
Things to See & Do
* Barentsberg Chapel
* Statue of Lenin
* Pomor Museum
* Star & Slogan sign
General information
Cruise Season – Feb - Dec
Currency - Norwegian krone (NOK)
Language – Danish
Land Area – 62,049 km² (Svalbard)
Population – 700 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 47
Port Location – It's some 220 steps up the stairs from the dock to the settlement, where more or less everything is along the main street, ulitsa Ivana Starostina.
Transport Links – Barentsburg has a heliport operated by the Russian company SPARK+ with one Mi-8 helicopter. Trust Arktikugol can only use the helicopter service within the limits of its activities as a mining company, and chartered tourist transport is not permitted. The flight between Longyearbyen and Barentsburg is about 15 minutes.
Most visitors arrive from Longyearbyen on daytrips (2-3 hours one way by boat). In summer, there are also occasional cargo and passenger boats to Murmansk on the Russian mainland (3 days).
There are no roads to Barentsburg, and it's a two days solid hiking from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg on foot in the summer.