- Pyramiden
Pyramiden (Swedish and Norwegian, meaning "the pyramid", _ru. Пирамида, piramida) was a
Russia n settlement andcoal mining community on the archipelago ofSvalbard ,Norway . It was founded bySweden in 1910, and sold to theSoviet Union in 1927.It lies at the foot of the
Billefjorden on the island ofSpitsbergen , and is named for the pyramid-shaped mountain adjacent to the town. The settlement, with a one time population of over 1,000 inhabitants, [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/905956.stm BBC News | FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT | Pulling out of Pyramiden ] ] was abandonedJanuary 10 ,1998 by its owner, the state-owned Soviet companyArctikugol Trust , and is now aghost town . Within the buildings things remain exactly as they were left, abandoned in a hurry.There are no restrictions on visiting Pyramiden. However, visitors may not enter any buildings without permission, even if the doors are open, due to the health and safety hazards involved. Most buildings are now locked. Pyramiden is accessible by boat or
snowmobile . Guided tours are available in Russian, Norwegian, and English.The nearest settlements are Svalbard's capital,
Longyearbyen , some 50 km to the south,Barentsburg approximately 100 km south-east and the small research community ofNy-Ålesund , 100 km to the west.A book has been written about Pyramiden by Norwegian author Kjartan Fløgstad. [ [http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/boker/article291772.ece Fløgstad i Pyramiden : Dagsavisen ] ]
Pyramiden is currently being re-developed by the Russians, to accommodate tourists. 5-6 people are currently stationed there to upgrade the facilities.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.