Pyramiden
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Pyramiden (Swedish, meaning "the pyramid", Russian: Пирамида, piramida) was a Russian settlement and coal mining community on the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. It was founded by Sweden in 1910, and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927.
It lies at the foot of the Billefjord on the island of Spitsbergen, and is named for the pyramid-shaped mountain adjacent to the town. The settlement, with a one time population of over 1,000 inhabitants, was abandoned in 1998 by its owner, the state-owned Soviet company Trust Artikugol, and is now a ghost town. Within the buildings things remain exactly as they were left, abandoned in a hurry. The Russians are planning to re-establish mining operations in Pyramiden sometime in 2007.
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, 195 km to the south, and the small research community of Ny-Ålesund, some 115 km to the west.
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