Akseløya: Russeltvedtodden

From the Pomors to Hagerup and modern arctic hunting: centuries of hunting history

Russeltvedtodden is the southern end of Akseløya.

This is about Russeltvedtodden at the southern end of Akseløya, a natural pearl that otherwise already has its own page here. As far as cultural history is concerned, Russeltvedtodden is quite a prominent place in Spitsbergen: this is where Johan Hagerup, one of the pioneers of the trapper era on Spitsbergen, built his main hut in 1898 (recognisable in the pictures as the smaller hut with outer walls made of piled stones). Together with four other Norwegian hunters, he essentially hunted foxes from a network of smaller neighbouring huts, one of which still stands west of Midterhukhamna.

The buildings at Russeltvedtodden on Akseløya. From left: the Hagerup hut from 1898, a hut from 1963, the modern hut from 1990.

In addition to reducing the regional animal population, Hagerup also devoted himself to science: on several occasions he recorded continuous meteorological data series, and in 1902-03 he hosted a scientist from the ‘Norwegian Northern Lights Expedition’, which otherwise maintained stations on Iceland, in northern Norway and on Novaya Zemlya. Near the huts on Akseløya, small cuboid concrete foundations, now overgrown with lichen, still point to the locations of the instruments used to observe the northern lights.

At the southern end of Akseløya is Johan Hagerup’s old stone house, which is still in fairly good condition thanks to restoration work. Remains of foundations from the even more ancient times of the Pomors are also still visible. These are the oldest traces of settlement and utilisation on Akseløya.

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On the same site there is a log cabin built in 1963 and a fairly large and modern house (prominently visible in the panorama) that is still in use. This house was built in 1990 by Louis Nielsen, also known locally as Hiawatha. Nielsen sold it to Tommy Sandal in 2011, who still manages the hunting area in Bellsund today (as of 2024). However, as ice conditions have made the connection from Akseløya to Longyearbyen unreliable in winter for years, Tommy has since moved his main base to Kapp Schollin in Fridtjovhamna.

Akseløya: Russeltvedtodden – Photo gallery

Finally, a collection of photos with various impressions of the cabins at Russeltvedtodden on Akseløya, starting with a few ‘old treasures’ from 2001.