Located on the southeastern side of Bear Island, Kvalrossbukta is one of few bays on the island that offer easy access to flat ground on shore. Even though the bay is not exactly perfectly well sheltered and it has some shallows, altogether it was the best place available to establish a whaling station.
The whaling station in Kvalrossbukta was in use from 1905 to 1908, in the second phase of arctic whaling. The early whalers, in the 17th century, had used rowing boats and hand-thrown harpoons. In the early 20th century, the industrial age, the whalers had steam power and harpoon guns with explosive harpoon heads at their disposal. This meant that all whale species, including the largest and fastest ones, were on their target list. Species like the Blue whale, Finn whale and Humpback whale were driven near extinction in the north Atlantic within a few years. Then, the whaling moved south, towards antarctic waters.
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.
Spitsbergen – Antarctic double calendar. The back side of the sheets, which used to be blank until 2019, are now fully used so you actually get two calendars for the price of one – twelve stunning Spitsbergen images on one side and twelve equally stunning Antarctic images on the other side!
Huts are places of longing, dreams and adventure in Spitsbergen’s beautiful landscape. Even if the modern visitor’s eye may mostly be directed towards nature, most will have an open ear every now and then for exciting survival stories about explorers and expeditions, adventurers and trappers.
These huts are silent witnesses and and every one of them tells a little part of the whole story. The little book “Svalbardhytter” and the poster that is part of the same project make these fascinating places accessible for everyone.
From remote ruins, just traces in a few cases, to “famous” trapper huts such as Fredheim in Tempelfjord and Bjørneborg on Halvmåneøya, the war weather station Haudegen, the former scientific base Würzburger Hütte on Barentsøya and Hammerfesthuset, Svalbard’s oldest building.