Barentsburg Pomor Museum

About the museum

Barentsburg was established as a coal-mining community by Dutch interests in the 1920s and was bought by the Soviet Union in 1932. The museum was set up in 1963 by Soviet archaeologists, including Vadim Starkov, who carried out fieldwork on Svalbard. Today it is owned by the Russian mining company Trust Arktikugol.

The exhibition is primarily about the Pomors, Russian hunters and fishermen from the White Sea, who were among the earliest hunters and winterers on the archipelago. The museum shows archaeological finds from Pomor settlements and from the early expeditions, a geological collection with minerals and fossils, stuffed animals from the Arctic, and art with motifs from Svalbard. There are also depictions of coal mining, the Second World War and everyday life in the Soviet era.

The museum is small and is located in the same building as the settlement's culture and sports centre. Most visitors come as part of a guided tour from Longyearbyen.

Highlights

• Archaeological finds from Pomor settlements
• Geological collection with minerals and fossils
• Stuffed animals from the Arctic
• Exhibition on coal mining and everyday life in the Soviet era

Permanent exhibition

• Pomorenes historie på Svalbard – Archaeological finds from Pomor settlements and the early expeditions, supplemented by geology, wildlife, coal mining and the Soviet period.

Founded

1963

Operated by

Trust Arktikugol

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

Barentsburg is reached by guided boat trip from Longyearbyen in summer or by snowmobile in winter. The museum is in the same building as the culture and sports centre.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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