Svalbard Museum

About the museum

Svalbard Museum was started in the 1960s by individuals in Longyearbyen who collected objects from the settlement and from hunting on the archipelago. A board was elected in 1979, and the museum opened to the public in a former pigsty in 1981; the official opening took place in February 1982. Until 1999 the museum had no permanent staff.

In 2000 the operation was placed under a foundation, and in January 2006 the museum moved into the newly built Svalbard Science Centre, where the exhibitions, storage and offices today cover around 1,500 square metres. The foundation was established by Longyearbyen lokalstyre (local council), Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, UNIS, Norsk Polarinstitutt and Sysselmesteren (the Governor of Svalbard), and it receives support from the state.

The permanent exhibition tells of around 400 years of history, from the discovery in 1596 through hunting, whaling and coal mining to today's research and geopolitics. At the same time the nature of Svalbard is presented, from animals and birds adapted to the Arctic climate to fossils, coal and climate change. The collections are searchable on DigitaltMuseum.

Highlights

• The permanent exhibition “En verden i endring” (“A World in Transition”) about Svalbard's history and nature
• A real trapper's hut that visitors can walk into
• Fossils and prehistoric marine reptiles
• A crawl-through space depicting a coal mine
• Archaeology and finds from the first expeditions

Permanent exhibition

• En verden i endring – The permanent exhibition on Svalbard's history from its discovery in 1596 and on the archipelago's nature, with a trapper's hut, marine reptiles and a coal mine.

Founded

1979

Operated by

Stiftelsen Svalbard Museum

Visitors per year

approx. 45,000 (2022)

Admission & discounts

Tickets can be bought at reception or online. The museum prefers card payment; there is no cash machine, and Vipps is not used.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance, toilets, exhibition and shop are on the 1st floor. There is a lift to the storage and meeting rooms. Lighting is good at the entrances and subdued in the exhibition. The interior is mostly wood and contains many stuffed animals and skins, which may affect people with asthma or allergies.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Children can dig out a fossil, crawl through a coal-mine tunnel and make a glacier calve. Seasonal activities for children are announced on the museum's website. Strollers may be brought in, but the museum does not lend out strollers. There is a changing table in the accessible toilet by reception.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Research Park, together with UNIS and Norsk Polarinstitutt. From the centre (Svalbardbutikken) it is about 550 metres, roughly 8–10 minutes on foot; from Bykaia 1 it is 1,900 metres, roughly 20–25 minutes. The entrance is on the facade facing the centre.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Museum shop with books, children's books about Arctic life and simple refreshments such as drinks, nuts and chocolate. The nearest café is within walking distance. An unattended cloakroom is free; large outer clothing, bags and backpacks may not be taken into the exhibition.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit