Longyearbyen is a settlement located at the North Pole of the Earth. This place is known as “the town that cannot die”.
In the northernmost part of Norway, there is a very special town called Longyearbyen. Despite its remote location, this place has become famous around the world because of a strange ban. It’s DIE.
Birth, old age, sickness and death are inevitable laws of nature. Why is it such a strange thing?
The special decree is nowhere to be found
Longyearbyen is the most populous town in the Svalbard Islands, Norway. It is located on the remote and frozen archipelago of the Arctic Ocean region, the point between Norway and the North Pole. It is also known as “the northernmost town in the world”.
Here, from late October to January, the Sun will not appear. At the end of summer, the sun does not set. The temperature is always low, the record sometimes drops to -10 degrees Celsius. This has led to a special decree of the local government.
Accordingly, the people of the town were “not allowed” to die. For more than 70 years, Longyearbyen has banned burials due to low temperatures and permafrost. Specifically, the ice in Longyearbyen does not melt, even in the summer. This renders buried bodies non-biodegradable.
Between 1917 and 1920, the town of Longyearbyen suffered a terrible epidemic and after 13 years, the authorities realized that the bodies of the victims who had been buried were still intact. Fearing a new wave of the pandemic, they decided to close the cemetery, banning further burials. The crosses still lie in the cemetery as memorials.
Longyearbyen has about 2,000 residents but has absolutely no nursing homes and in case of serious illness, the government has to transfer patients to the nearest hospital 2 hours away by plane.
Even giving birth is almost impossible in this city. Pregnant women are forced to move inland 3 weeks before giving birth. The small hospital on the island operates only in emergencies.
You can also work until old age in Longyearbyen, but as soon as you are about to retire, you have to return to the mainland.
More than 60% of the land is covered with ice, devoid of trees, and the only vegetation presently consists of mosses and lichens.
These are the only two species that are able to survive in the harsh climate of Longyearbyen.
Bears, reindeer and huskies are the animals used to help navigate the Arctic ice. The most common type of transport is snowmobiles.
Life is also full of fear
Longyearbyen is covered in snow and ice all year round, but in recent years, this town has also witnessed the most obvious impacts of climate change. According to statistics from the Norwegian Polar Institute, warming in this region is fastest, 6 times faster than the global average.
The Church of Svalbard Island is a red wooden building with bright white trim. Father Siv Limstrand, who has only been here three years, is shocked by the impact of climate change she is witnessing.
“Every Sunday when we gather for service, part of our prayers has always been about climate change and its threats,” explains Limstrand .
Father Siv Limstrand stands in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen island, Svalbard archipelago, northern Norway, on May 6, 2022.
Life here, although there is no war or famine raging, is still precarious. Every time people leave the house, people have to carry guns because of the risk of encountering polar bears.
The melting ice has reduced the hunting area of this white bear. That means it’s harder for them to find seals. So many bears are exploring built-up areas in search of food, and they even have to eat reindeer, which is not their prey.
In addition, rising temperatures cause unprecedented melting of ice. The danger of avalanches is growing, enveloping this Arctic community in winter. In the summer, landslides are more likely to wipe everything out.
Experts from the Norwegian Polar Institute say that the town of Longyearbyen in particular and the Svalbard archipelago in general are warming six times faster than the global average. Since the 1980s, the amount of summer sea ice has halved.
Experts fear it will disappear completely by 2035. The temperature in Svalbard has risen by about 4 degrees Celsius over the past 50 years.
Both humans and wildlife are struggling to survive. This is why residents are praying for help.
In 2020, Sky Atlantic studio produced the movie ” Fortitude ” inspired by life on the Svalbard Islands. Although filmed in Iceland, this film is modeled after Longyearbyen and it fully reflects the atmosphere and life in this land.
