Grumant
An abandoned Soviet mining settlement on Isfjorden between Longyearbyen and Barentsburg.
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Grumant was a Soviet coal settlement on the southern shore of Isfjorden that held over a thousand people at its height and was abandoned in 1961 when the seam and the economics gave out, and the buildings were left standing: apartment blocks, a cultural building, a railway that ran along the shore to the loading point at Colesbukta. Everything is collapsing under the weather, and the site is protected as cultural heritage.
What you actually see
- The apartment blocks - the Soviet housing left standing since 1961.
- The shore railway - the line that ran to the loading point at Colesbukta.
- The collapse - buildings coming down steadily under Arctic weather.
- The heritage protection - the status covering everything on the site.
When to go
June to September for boats, March to May for snowmobile. There is no road at any season. Trips run from Longyearbyen.
Honest expectations
Buildings are unstable and entering them is prohibited and dangerous. Everything on site older than 1946 is protected and nothing may be moved or taken. Polar bear protection is required ashore.
Nearby
Barentsburg is west, and Longyearbyen is east.
What to pack for Grumant
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.