Discover the achievements of the 2014-2020 NPA projects
Seven years of cooperation between people, communities, and organisations across thousands of kilometres made a difference in the Northern Periphery and Arctic regions.
Browse the NPA map of results to discover our stories of cooperation. Pick a dot from the map and scroll down to read about people who have met similar minded colleagues and together found solutions for their shared challenges.
Use the +/- buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in/out or click on the regions to display the NPA project stories.
The short life of Hiorthhamn coal mine settlement
A small coal mine settlement from the early 20th century, is at extreme risk of loss by 2050.
Hiorthhamn is a former small settlement for mining of coal at Svalbard, Norway. It was a small community, in use from 1917 to 1940. The mine was located high up in the mountain. The coal was transported from the mine mouth by aerial cableways down to the shore, where the "black gold" was transferred onto ships. The workers partly lived up by the mine and partly down by the coast. Today, several houses and remains of the cableway and railroads are left.
Climate is changing rapidly in the area. More rain, less frozen ground, and more erosion, due to less ice in the fjords during the winter, is leading to increased degradation and more damages.
The risk assessment and planning of risk reduction measures carried out by ANH allowed to assess the level of degrade and identify an extremely high risk of complete loss by 2050. The parts of the site towards the sea are strongly exposed to coastal processes, especially erosion. Some of the foundations will, in short time, be undermined and then the buildings will collapse.
Photo credit and copyright: Marte Boro, Riksantikvaren and AC Flyen, NIKU.