Svenskhuset Tragedy

78°28′43.3″N 15°41′47.3″E / 78.478694°N 15.696472°E / 78.478694; 15.696472

The location of Svenskehuset on Spitsbergen, on the cape south of "Pyramiden".


The Svenskhuset Tragedy was an event in the winter of 1872–73 where seventeen men died in an isolated house on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The cause of death was long believed to be scurvy,[1] but research done in 2008 has revealed that the men probably suffered lead poisoning. Svenskehuset is today preserved as a cultural heritage site.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Tragedien i Svenskehuset" (in Norwegian). Norsk Nettskole. Archived from the original on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2008-09-23.