The northernmost coal mining area in the world is located above the Arctic Circle, in the permafrost of Spitsbergen.
Coal has been mined here under inhospitable conditions for more than a hundred years.
That was mostly a subsidy business in a part of the world where there are no connecting roads, but instead there are frozen ground, temperatures below zero and more polar bears than people.
Spitsbergen is part of Norway.
However, the Svalbard Treaty of 1920 stipulates that other countries - including Russia - may also be economically active there.
Permanent military bases are not permitted on the archipelago.
However, mining was a way of making a presence here and showing the world the virtues of socialism.
About two hours by boat northeast of the capital Longyearbyen is the ghost settlement Pyramiden in the Billefjorden.
The former Soviet flagship settlement, which had operated since the 1920s, was abandoned in 1998.
Today it is a superbly preserved open-air museum of the 1980s Soviet Union.
At times up to 2500 people lived here.
Wages were higher than on the mainland.
There was a concert hall, a swimming pool, a sports hall, its own school - and a canteen with a 24-hour buffet.
Elaborate murals and decorations show that much has been done here to make life as comfortable as possible for the workers.
Arctic temperatures and an environment virtually free of dust and microorganisms have preserved the buildings and objects from decay.
Coal is still mined on Svalbard today.
In Barentsburg, about 80 kilometers away, the Russian state production company Arktikugol operates another mine.
Norway, on the other hand, recently announced that it would end coal mining on Svalbard in 2023.
AFP photographer Olivier Morin visited Pyramiden in September 2021 and captured his impressions.
Conversation with AFP photographer Olivier Morin:
Was this your first trip to the Arctic?
No - I live in Finland and spend about 70 percent of my time in the Arctic.
Why did you travel to Svalbard?
I'm currently working on a longer story about the effects of climate change on the Arctic habitat - specifically on orcas and polar bears.
Many polar bears live around Pyramiden.
You have to be careful - some even walk through the village.
How did you travel there?
It takes a long time to get there – Svalbard is halfway – 900km each – between Norway and the North Pole.
From Tromsö in northern Norway there is a flight connection to Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard.
There I teamed up with an armed Norwegian guide who took me to Pyramiden on his boat.
We stayed there for a total of 3 days.
Where have you stayed in Pyramiden?
There are several options: we stayed in the Russian hotel that operates there.
Nobody lives in the place permanently - the three or four young people who work there come for about 6 months each.
Alternatively, there are huts - about two to three kilometers from the settlement.
I want to go there next time.
However, you have to defend yourself against the polar bears there.
Is there a telephone line in Pyramiden?
No, there is neither internet nor telephone - you need a satellite phone.
The phone at the port is a historical relic from the Soviet era - back then there was a landline.
Is it possible to visit the settlement just like that?
You can walk through the settlement on your own or ask one of the people from the hotel to let you into the premises.
There are also group tours – school classes come from Norway and Russia, for example.
What was your impression of the settlement?
You can feel the souls of the miners.
Everything looks like it has just been abandoned.
It looks like a memorial - but like one that can be reactivated at any moment - the settlement seems "on standby".
Svalbard is an important place.
Even if coal mining is no longer worthwhile, there are oil deposits nearby.
In addition, Svalbard will be an important port once the Northwest Passage is permanently navigable due to climate change.
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