Fredheim

Fredheim stands on the shore of Sassenfjorden and was the base of Hilmar Nøis, who spent nearly forty winters trapping in Svalbard between the 1900s and the 1960s, longer than anyone else, and built the main cabin large enough to be called Villa Fredheim. Three buildings survive, moved back from the eroding shore in 2015 to save them. The trapping life they represent ended when the practice was wound down.

What you actually see

• Villa Fredheim - the main cabin, unusually large for a trapper's station.
• The Nøis history - nearly forty winters trapping, longer than anyone else in Svalbard.
• The three buildings - the group moved back from the eroding shore in 2015.
• The fjord setting - the station on the Sassenfjorden shore below the mountains.

When to go

June to September for boats, March to May for snowmobile. The buildings are locked and viewed from outside. Trips run from Longyearbyen.

Honest expectations

The buildings are protected and locked; they are seen from outside. Shore erosion forced the move in 2015 and continues. Polar bear protection is required ashore.

Nearby

Tempelfjorden is north, and Longyearbyen is southwest.