In March 2017 I visited the island of Svalbard, roughly halfway between Norway and the North Pole, and about 50km north from the Northernmost settlement on Earth, Longyearbyen, which is found on the 78th parallel north.
Some 1,000 inhabitants abandoned the settlement in 1998 following the closure of the coal mine, leaving behind mining equipment and various personal effects. It appears as if they simply vanished overnight, leaving behind a virtual ghost town that presents a fascinating insight into how life transpired in this Soviet-era mining settlement. A statue of Lenin still stands proudly overlooking the settlement, abandoned much like the Soviet socialist ideology.
Today, Pyramiden is reachable only by a boat or a snowmobile, and tours are regularly organised from Longyearbyen. I myself arrived on a boat, in -25°C temperature and with the sea completely frozen over. There are efforts to preserve the settlement and grow the tourism aspect with a small Soviet-style hotel still operating.
