Timeline of Svalbard

Chronology

9 events spanning the history of Svalbard. BCE/CE dating.

1. 1194

   Discovered by the Vikings.

   Discovered by the Vikings.

2. 1596

   The Dutch voyager Willem Barents is regarded as the first visitor from the European mainland.

   the Dutch voyager Willem Barents, in search of a northeast passage to China, is regarded as the first visitor from the European mainland.

3. 1600 – 1700

   International whaling

   International whaling during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was motivated by encouraging prices for blubber oil and baleen. The main players were Dutch, British and German, and the whaling companies were quite significant at a national level. At the peak of this activity, more than 300 ships were active around Svalbard.

4. 1700 – 1850

   Russian hunting

   Russian hunting, involving people who spent the winter in Svalbard, lasted 1700-1850 and has left more than 70 stations.

5. 1794 – 1795

   Norwegian overwintering

   The first Norwegian overwintering took place from 1794 to 1795. Overwintering trapping rose again in the late 19th century and the glory days lasted until the mid-1900s.

6. 1821

   The first polar expeditions reaches Svalbard

   The first polar expeditions reaches Svalbard.

7. 1906

   The first modern mine opened until 1906

   Perhaps as early as 1612 whalers had discovered coal at Ny Ålesund, but the first modern mine wasn’t opened until 1906, when the Arctic Coal Company (ACC) began extracting coal from a rich seam.

8. 1920

   The Svalbard treaty was written.

   The Svalbard treaty was written.

9. 1941

   The first modern mine opened until 1906

   Mining was halted during WWII and the islands were evacuated.