Creepy life in small glacier town where it is 'illegal to die', every local population is forced to carry weapons and cats are banned
THIS small town is home to one of the best preserved nature reserves in the world, with breathtaking ice caves, glaciers and diverse wildlife.
But the city is also home to a string of strict and strange ones laws.
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This is Longyearbyen, the glacier town on the island Spitsbergen where polar bears, reindeer, caribou and birds flourished.
Cecilia Blomdahl, one of the city's residents, says: “The nature here is so overwhelmingly beautiful that it is sometimes terrifying.
“But it's not just the nature that makes this place incredible, it's also the people.
'Since no one was actually born here on Spitsbergen, this means that everyone who lives here has made the choice to do this.
“That means you have a village full of quite like-minded people who are passionate about where they live.”
As a result, the islanders have adopted some seemingly strange rules to protect their wildlife.
Due to the variety of birds on the island, including puffins and arctic terns, cats are not allowed inside.
Another law states that islanders must carry a weapon at all times.
This 2012 law was introduced to ensure that anyone traveling outside the main settlements could protect themselves from possible polar bear attacks.
The number of polar bears on the island is estimated at more than 3,000, compared to an apparently meager 2,500 humans – but attacks are rare.
Only five such incidents have been reported on the island in recent decades.
However, the law stipulates that it is prohibited to use a weapon within the settlements. Many public places on the island have clearly marked signs stating “no firearms allowed”.
Legend also says that it is illegal to die in this small town.
However, the law actually only prohibits the burial of bodies in the city, as the freezing conditions never allow decomposition.
There is a cemetery on the island, but it has not accepted new bodies since the 1950s.
Legend has it that a handful of Norwegian miners were buried there in 1918 before their bodies were exhumed 70 years later.
They are believed to be so well preserved that their systems still contain traces of a flu virus that killed them.
And on February 9, the Norwegian government announced that they would tighten the already strict regulations on the island.
“We are now tightening environmental regulations on Svalbard to strengthen the protection of flora and fauna,” said Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.
The new laws ban the use of unmanned drones, the use of snowmobiles on sea ice and motor traffic at sea must stay at least 150 meters away from walruses.
About 60 percent of the island is covered in glaciers, and visitors to the area have also been warned about breaking ice.
Local resident Blomdahl added: “Living in Spitsbergen is not the easiest task, but it is very rewarding.”
First settled in 1906, Longyearbyern is one of the few places in the world you can move to without a visa.
Although Spitsbergen has been owned by Norway since 1920, residents do not require a visa from the EU. Good news for the British.
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