Pyramiden

Pyramiden was a Soviet coal settlement of around a thousand people, built as a showcase of northern life with a cultural palace, a sports hall with a swimming pool, a greenhouse, a cantina and imported soil for a patch of grass, all at 78 degrees north. Mining stopped in 1998 and the town was evacuated within months, leaving buildings furnished and equipment in place; the permafrost and the cold have slowed decay so that interiors remain remarkably intact, though windows have broken and birds have moved in. A bust of Lenin, the northernmost in the world, still stands facing the fjord. A small staff maintains the site and a hotel operates seasonally, and access is by guided tour only because of polar bears.

What you actually see

• The Lenin bust - the world's northernmost, facing the fjord.
• The cultural palace - a theatre, library and sports hall left largely furnished.
• The imported grass - a patch of turf grown from soil shipped in from Ukraine.
• The mining structures - the pyramid-shaped mountain and its workings above.

When to go

June to September for boat access, which is the usual route; March to May for snowmobile trips over the frozen fjord. The site is closed to independent visitors year-round.

Honest expectations

Access is only by organised tour with an armed guide, at significant cost, and trips are cancelled in bad weather or ice. Time on site is limited by the boat schedule. Buildings are entered only where the guide permits, as many are unsafe.

Nearby

Nordenskiold glacier is across the fjord; Longyearbyen is three to four hours away by boat.