Almost at the height of the 80th degree of latitude are the few towns on Spitsbergen whose residents earned their living in coal mining for many years. Due to a geological peculiarity, the seams are not deep underground, but the tunnels were driven almost horizontally into the mountains above the settlements. But dismantling is no longer profitable.
On the other hand, science is now firmly anchored in Spitsbergen with several research facilities, such as in Ny-Ålesund, the starting point for numerous North Pole expeditions at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. In addition to weather observations, investigations into global warming and the northern lights play a major role.
During the brief arctic summer season between late June and late August, more and more cruise ships call into the archipelago’s bays. In addition, adventurers and active tourists land in small groups at the airport in Longyerbyen, the largest town on the island.
The focus is on people and nature
The famous Photographer Paolo Verzone, the three-time winner of the World Press Photo Award, has traveled to Svalbard five times in recent years to capture the island world with his camera. With his recordings, which are now in the illustrated book “Spitsbergen” together with a knowledgeable text by the author Matina Wimmer im Mare publisher was published, he draws a picture of the barren landscape and its inhabitants – beyond all clichés.
He deliberately refrains from photographing animals, polar bears and musk oxen, instead focusing on the everyday life of the researchers and nature with his poetic photographs that exude timelessness and calm.
Instead of sensations, he shows a sense for details. He also loves Russia’s Barentsburg and the ghost town of Pyramiden, which is one of the arctic lost places with its abandoned buildings, a statue of Lenin covered in seagull droppings and a rusty Antonov amphibious vehicle.
With his Svalbard pictures, Verzone tells stories that stimulate the imagination. As with other Mare illustrated books, no captions disturb the viewing, but the information can be found at the end of the book. The outstanding print and paper quality of the work deserves special mention.
Also read:
– This woman is preparing the aviators for the greatest Arctic expedition of all time
– Ghost Town in the Arctic: Where polar bears and Lenin say good night
– Some Like Ice Cream: An Expedition Around Svalbard
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