Sveagruva | |
|---|---|
 Sveagruva in 2019 | |
  Sveagruva Location of Sveagruva and Svalbard | |
| Coordinates: 77°54′00″N 16°43′50″E / 77.90000°N 16.73056°E | |
| Country |  Norway |
| Region | Svalbard |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Population (2024) | |
| • Total | 0 |
Sveagruva (lit. 'Swedish Mine'), or simply Svea, was a mining settlement in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying at the head of Van Mijenfjord. When occupied by the workers, it was the third largest settlement in the archipelago (after Longyearbyen and Barentsburg) but there were no permanent inhabitants. Around 300 workers living in Longyearbyen commuted to Sveagruva for work on a daily or weekly basis.[1] The mine was operated by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani.[2] There is no road to Longyearbyen or any other settlements, so travel is done by air from Svea Airport and coal transport by ship from a port 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest. Sveagruva closed in 2020 and currently has no permanent inhabitants.[3]
As of 2023, Sveagruva has been re-wilded to a pristine state. Almost every structure from its mining past has been removed.[3]
- ^ Neumann, Antje (2020-04-14). Wilderness Protection in Polar Regions: Arctic Lessons Learnt for the Regulation and Management of Tourism in the Antarctic. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-41607-9.
- ^ Sörlin, Sverker (2022-12-22). Resource Extraction and Arctic Communities. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-009-10023-6.
- ^ a b "Norway Rewilds Arctic Coal Mining Town in Largest Operation of its Kind, Gives New Hunting Ground for Polar Bears". 26 September 2023.