Photos show what it's like in one of the world's northernmost ghost towns, where an abandoned Russian mining outpost appears frozen in time

Melissa WileyJun 2, 2021, 23:04 IST

Left: A Pyramiden local stands watch over the town, keeping an eye out for polar bears. Right: The abandoned mining town's crest.Krzysztof Mankowski/Shutterstock; Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Pyramiden is an abandoned Russian mining town located on a remote island in the Arctic.
Thanks to its extreme climate, the town looks eerily similar to how it did when it closed in 1998.
Pyramiden now has eight residents, and they carry guns to protect themselves from polar bears.

Pyramiden, an abandoned coal-mining settlement in Russia, is one of the world's northernmost towns and a frozen-in-time example of Soviet-era culture.

View of Pyramiden, an abandoned Russian coal mining settlement, on August 25, 2020, near the Nordenskjodbreen glacier in Svalbard. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Pyramiden is located on a remote island in the Svalbard archipelago. The only ways to get there are by boat in the warmer months and from the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen by snowmobile in the winter.

An arrow shows the location of Pyramiden. Google Maps

Pyramiden is located on a remote island in the Svalbard archipelago. The only ways to get there are by boat in the warmer months and from the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen by snowmobile in the winter.

As one of the few Soviet outposts, the town was designed with state-of-the-art facilities "to show the USSR's power off to the rest of the world," according to the Arctic Institute. It had around 1,500 residents at its height in the mid-1990s.

General view of Pyramiden, August 25, 2020. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

As one of the few Soviet outposts, the town was designed with state-of-the-art facilities "to show the USSR's power off to the rest of the world," according to the Arctic Institute. It had around 1,500 residents at its height in the mid-1990s.

In 1998, the mining company closed down the town for a few reasons, according to Visit Svalbard. The price of coal was falling, removing coal from the mountain was costly and difficult, and two years prior, an airplane crash killed 141 residents, devastating the community.

A statue of Vladimir Lenin looks over Pyramiden toward the Nordenskjodbreen glacier in Svalbard. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

In 1998, the mining company closed down the town for a few reasons, according to Visit Svalbard. The price of coal was falling, removing coal from the mountain was costly and difficult, and two years prior, an airplane crash killed 141 residents, devastating the community.

Today, it looks eerily similar to how it did in 1998.

Abandoned items are seen on a windowsill in Pyramiden. Christian Faludi/Shutterstock

In the dining area, chairs and tables are still out to welcome diners, and leaves cling to long-dead plants.

A Pyramiden dining area pictured on August 25, 2020. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Sheet music lies propped against a piano waiting to be read ...

A music room in Pyramiden's cultural and sport center pictured August 2017. Kaca Skokanova/Shutterstock

... and books still fill the shelves of the library.

The Pyramiden library pictured on June 25, 2015. Fredy Thuerig/Shutterstock

Some areas, like the kitchen, show signs of rust and aging.

Pyramiden's kitchen area pictured on August 25, 2020. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

But others, like the sports hall, look well-preserved.

Pyramiden's sports hall pictured on August 25, 2020. Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Due to Arctic temperatures, Pyramiden experiences "a very slow rate of decay," according to Popular Mechanics.

A swimming pool in Pyramiden pictured on August 25, 2020. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

While some parts of Pyramiden feel apocalyptic, the town isn't entirely empty. According to Visit Svalbard, Pyramiden is home to eight residents who maintain the facilities and take visitors on guided tours.

A Russian guide leads visitors through the grounds of Pyramiden on June 25, 2015. Fredy Thuerig/Shutterstock

While some parts of Pyramiden feel apocalyptic, the town isn't entirely empty. According to Visit Svalbard, Pyramiden is home to eight residents who maintain the facilities and take visitors on guided tours.

Pyramiden has been open to visitors since 2008, when the Governor of Svalbard and the mining company that owns the town made plans to revitalize it for tourism, according to the Arctic Institute.

Tourists take pictures in Pyramiden's dining area on August 25, 2020. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Pyramiden has been open to visitors since 2008, when the Governor of Svalbard and the mining company that owns the town made plans to revitalize it for tourism, according to the Arctic Institute.

Because polar bears "frequently" pass through town, residents carry guns to protect themselves and tourists, according to The New York Times.

A local stands guard over abandoned buildings at Pyramiden on August 25, 2016. Krzysztof Mankowski/Shutterstock

Though the pandemic put a halt to tourism, the 43-room Pyramiden Hotel is now open to visitors from the Norwegian mainland who can present a negative COVID-19 test, a representative for Arctic Travel Company Grumant told Insider. Rates start at $215 per night.

Unidentified tourists visit the hotel and souvenir shop in Pyramiden on September 3, 2011. Dmitry Chulov/Shutterstock

Though the pandemic put a halt to tourism, the 43-room Pyramiden Hotel is now open to visitors from the Norwegian mainland who can present a negative COVID-19 test, a representative for Arctic Travel Company Grumant told Insider. Rates start at $215 per night.

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Photos show what it's like in one of the world's northernmost ghost towns, where an abandoned Russian mining outpost appears frozen in time

Pyramiden, an abandoned coal-mining settlement in Russia, is one of the world's northernmost towns and a frozen-in-time example of Soviet-era culture.

Pyramiden is located on a remote island in the Svalbard archipelago. The only ways to get there are by boat in the warmer months and from the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen by snowmobile in the winter.

As one of the few Soviet outposts, the town was designed with state-of-the-art facilities "to show the USSR's power off to the rest of the world," according to the Arctic Institute. It had around 1,500 residents at its height in the mid-1990s.

In 1998, the mining company closed down the town for a few reasons, according to Visit Svalbard. The price of coal was falling, removing coal from the mountain was costly and difficult, and two years prior, an airplane crash killed 141 residents, devastating the community.

Today, it looks eerily similar to how it did in 1998.

In the dining area, chairs and tables are still out to welcome diners, and leaves cling to long-dead plants.

Sheet music lies propped against a piano waiting to be read ...

... and books still fill the shelves of the library.

Some areas, like the kitchen, show signs of rust and aging.

But others, like the sports hall, look well-preserved.

Due to Arctic temperatures, Pyramiden experiences "a very slow rate of decay," according to Popular Mechanics.

While some parts of Pyramiden feel apocalyptic, the town isn't entirely empty. According to Visit Svalbard, Pyramiden is home to eight residents who maintain the facilities and take visitors on guided tours.

Pyramiden has been open to visitors since 2008, when the Governor of Svalbard and the mining company that owns the town made plans to revitalize it for tourism, according to the Arctic Institute.

Because polar bears "frequently" pass through town, residents carry guns to protect themselves and tourists, according to The New York Times.

Though the pandemic put a halt to tourism, the 43-room Pyramiden Hotel is now open to visitors from the Norwegian mainland who can present a negative COVID-19 test, a representative for Arctic Travel Company Grumant told Insider. Rates start at $215 per night.