Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard, located on Spitsbergen Island. It is the world’s northernmost “city,” closest to the North Pole. In my opinion, it might be more accurate to call it a settlement, as it has only about 2,000 permanent residents. In Svalbard, anyone who has lived here for more than two years is considered a permanent resident — and it takes real courage to endure the long, dark Arctic winter.
Firearms are mandatory outside the city to guard against polar bear attacks.
In Longyearbyen, polar bears are everywhere. You’ll find polar bear specimens in supermarkets and museums, polar bear pelts in gift shops and fur stores, and even polar bear models in restaurants and hotels. Sometimes, you might even find yourself startled by these displays — though locals probably wouldn’t be. Even the local hospital and church have polar bear specimens. Of course, they also need to know how to handle an actual encounter with a polar bear. That’s why anyone leaving the central urban area of Longyearbyen must carry a gun. It’s said that new students at the University Centre in Svalbard must undergo a week of survival training upon enrollment, including shooting, tent-pitching, driving, and repairing snowmobiles.
Behind the hotel where I stayed stands the world’s northernmost church. Next to it is a sundial shaped like a polar bear, which reads: Longyearbyen — the world’s northernmost city, located at 78°13′ N, 15°37′ E, 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole, and the northernmost human settlement on Earth (Ny-Ålesund in Norway is more northerly but inhabited only by research staff, not permanent residents).
Longyearbyen — the city where polar bears roam.