“​​Svea | post | Mine” by Ingvild Sæbu Vatn and Lilli Wickström, published by Artica Svalbard

Four million tonnes of high-quality coal would roll over the red stacker annually during the Svea North mine’s peak production years. Throughout its 100-year history, Svea has had several ups and downs, and when the new Lunckefjell mine was ready to start production in 2015, the coal operation was put on pause. Shortly thereafter, it was decided it would be shut down for good; the place and the landscape would be returned to nature. Only four buildings will remain in the former Svea community, three of which will be used as a research base for the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). But what kind of place will this really be? And how will that happen? At the former coal shipping facility on Cape Amsterdam further west, a green cabin can reveal the landscape’s great secret.

Read the full translation on Artica Svalbard’s website.