Brage NP

Jaklin, Gunn Sissel

Caeyers, Rudi

Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen was named after the American John Munro Long-year who bought Norwegian coal fields west of Adventfjorden in 1904. Two years later the American Arctic Coal Company 
built the first house and named the place Longyear City. Longyear-
byen’s economic base has diversified, as employment within tourism, 
education and research has grown substantially in recent years, along 
with smaller businesses. 
Population
Longyearbyen is not a “cradle-to-grave society”, but families are wel-
come. Forty per cent of the population is female (mainland 50 %), 
and 75% are people between 20 and 60 years of age (mainland 55%). 
Twenty-six foreign nations are 
represented, with Thailand top-
ping the list. Non-Norwegians 
constitute 13% of Longyear-
byen’s nearly 1800 inhabitants 
(2005).
History 
1904 John M. Longyear bought 
coal fields 
1906 The first house erected; 
the settlement named 
Longyear City. Long-
yearbyen became a “company town”
1916 Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (Norwegian state-
owned company) took over the coal mining business 
1920 The Svalbard Treaty, assigning Norway the sovereignty of 
the archipelago, drawn up. Explosion 
killed 26 miners, one tenth of the 
labour force
1921 Consecration of Vår Frelsers Kirke, the church of Longyear-
byen
1925 The Svalbard Treaty ratified. Celebrations at Skjæringa
1941 WWII: the population of Longyearbyen (570 men, 140 wom-
en and 55 children) evacuated to England
1943 The German battle-cruiser Scharnhorst and two destroyers at-
tacked Longyearbyen, doing extensive damage to the settle-
ment. Nine Norwegian soldiers lost their lives
1946 Nybyen, a new part of Longyearbyen, built
1947  New lodging quarters, an office building, hospital and three 
family dwellings erected on Haugen
1948 The first issue of the weekly newspaper Svalbardposten
1949 The Governor of Svalbard’s residence and office inaugurated
1952 Six people killed in a mine accident
1953 An avalanche at Haugen took three lives
1958 The present Svalbard Church consecrated
1971 The local Svalbard Council established
1975 The airport opened at Hotellneset
1981 The Norwegian State took over the health service and hospi-
tal. Svalbard connected to the national and international au-
tomatic long distance telephone networks. Svalbard Museum 
opened
1993 The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) opened, established 
by the Norwegian Government and all four Norwegian uni-
versities
1995 On 30 March two young 
Norwegian women attacked 
(one killed) by a polar bear at 
Platåberget, near Longyear-
byen. This led to the Gover-
nor strongly advising all resi-
dents and visitors to carry a 
gun when on the outskirts of 
the settlement
1996 A Russian airplane en route 
to Longyearbyen crashed at 
Operafjellet, a peak at 927 
m.a.s.l., 10 km east of the 
town. All 141 passengers and crew perished making this the 
largest airline disaster on Norwegian territory
1998 The governor of Svalbards present office building inaugurated
2001 The Norwegian General Assembly agrees to the opening of the 
Svea coal mining field south of Longyearbyen. The govern-
ment grants new share capital of NOK 150 mill. Miners com-
mute between Longyearbyen and Svea
2002 Local democracy introduced, after a Government decision to 
adjust the Svalbard law to a more modern rule. Longyearby-
en lokalstyre (local government) established, and the Svalbard 
Council ceased to exist 
2003 Broadband connection to the mainland established
2006  The opening of Svalbard Science Park on 26 
April, housing UNIS, Norwegian Polar Institute and 
Svalbard Museum
Norwegian Polar Institute
The foundations of Longyearbyen and the Norwegian Polar Insti-
tute were laid almost simultaneously: 1906 saw the construction of 
the town’s first dwelling while a 1906-07 expedition to Svalbard, fi-
nanced by the Prince of Monaco, eventually led to the establishment 
(in 1928) of the NPI. As far back as that early expedition, mapping 
was an important part of the exploration of the archipelago. Map-
ping Svalbard remained of national interest to Norway as it contrib-
uted to Norwegian economic pursuits, particularly mining, which 
was concentrated in and around Longyearbyen. Aerial photography, 
introduced the summer of 1936, resulted in better maps for use by 
the mining industry.
The opening of the airport in 1975 greatly facilitated access to Long-
yearbyen by scientists and others. The NPI established offices, field 
operations and equipment storage rooms in the hangar. In 1980 the 
Institute moved to Næringsbygget, while field operations and storage 
remained at the airport. Finally, in 2006, NPI’s Svalbard branch was 
reunited under one roof in the Science Park. 
Science and technology
Students come from all over the world to study at The University 
Centre in Svalbard. Research ranging from studies of the ocean floor 
up to the higher atmosphere is conducted by departments Arctic Bi-
ology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Geophysics and Arctic Technology. 
Several scientists from NPI are lecturers at UNIS, and the two insti-
tutions also co-operate on logistics and services for field expeditions. 
NPI projects based in Longyearbyen include research on Arctic foxes, 
Svalbard reindeer and seabirds. 
Svalbard is a well-suited location for access to polar orbiting satellites. 
At SvalSat, run by Kongsberg Satellite Services, data from satellites 
passing the polar regions 14 times every 24 hours are downloaded, 
stored and passed on. These data may include signs of global climate 
change. 
www.npolar.no
Celebrating the 17th of May in Longyearbyen, 1953. Photo: Tiseth, NPI Photo Library
Miners arm-wrestling. Photo: Tiseth,  
NPI Photo Library
King Olav V visited Svalbard for the first time in August 1961. Photo: Herta Grøndal
Inside coal mine in Longyearbyen 1953.  Photo: Tiseth, 
NPI Photo Library
Photo: Ann Kristin Balto
Northern lights over Longyearbyen. The mountain Sarkofagen can be seen in the background.  
Photo: Andrea Taurisano
Photo: Bjørn Frantzen - Text: Gunn Sissel Jaklin, NPI - Design: Rudi Caeyers, NPI 
2
References: Longyearbyen, NPI fact sheet; Polarboken 1997-98; The Place Names of Svalbard, NPI Rapportserie 2003; Samfunns- og næringsutvikling på Svalbard 1991-2005, Longyearbyen lokalstyre; Svalbards jubileumsmagasin 2006, Thor B. Arlov: Svalbards historie 2. utg. 2003; Svalbardposten; Birger Amundsen, Svarthvitt 2001            
www.spacecentre.no; www.esa.int; www.unis.no; www.lokalstyre.no


English

Longyearbyen

Hicks, Sheila

Isaksson, Elisabeth

Assessing source areas of pollutants from studies of fly ash, charcoal, and pollen from Svalbard snow and ice

Lydersen, Christian

Kovacs, Kit M.

faktaark
faktaark nr. 1 side 1
Rødlistet artHvalross
Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus
Hvalrossene i Norge finnes hovedsakelig på
Svalbard. Siden fredningen i 1952, da man antok
det kun var et par hundre dyr igjen, har bestanden
økt, og en telling utført i 2006 viste at det var
rundt 2500 hvalross på øygruppen. Hvalrossene er
generelt bunndyrsspesialister som trenger tilgang
på store gruntvannsområder med muslinger samt
hvileplasser i form av is eller land i nærheten av
disse.
Status
Kategori Sårbar (VU) på Norsk rødliste 2006.
Liggeplasser for hvalross på Svalbard undersøkt
i 2006
Christian Lydersen - Lydersen@npolar.no og Kit Kovacs - kit.kovacs@npolar.no, Norsk Polarinstitutt, N-
9296 Tromsø
Foto: Kit Kovacs og Christian Lydersen, NP
Kjennetegn
Hvalrossen er den største selarten i våre farvann. Voksne hanner blir rundt 3,5
meter lange og veier omlag 1500 kg, mens hunnene er betydelig mindre og blir
rundt 2,5 meter lange og oppnår vekter på opptil 900 kg. Voksne hanner skiller
seg også fra voksne hunner ved at huden ofte er dekket av runde utvekster
(tuberkler) særlig i nakkepartiet. Dyrene er generelt ensfargete brune, men etter
lengre opphold i kaldt vann blir de mer rosa i fargen. Etter at de så har lagt seg
opp på land eller isen en stund og fått sirkulert blod ut til ytre hudlaget, får de
igjen sin brune farge. Det mest karakteristiske kjennetegnet til hvalrossene er de
to støttennene som finnes hos både hanner og hunner. Hos store hanner kan de
bli over en meter lange og veie 5 kg. Hvalrossene utgjør en egen familie blant
selene, og har som de ekte selene ikke noe ytre øre, men i motsetning til de ekte
selene kan de bøye bakbeina under kroppen slik at de kan gå på land slik som
sjøløver og pelssel. Nyfødte kalver er 1,3 meter lange og veier omtrent 85 kg. De
er sjokoladebrune med mørkere sveiver.
Utbredelse
Hvalrossene har en sirkumpolar arktisk utbredelse og er delt inn i minst to
underarter hvorav den ene utgjøres av Stillehavshvalrossene (Odobenus
rosmarus divergens) og den andre Atlanterhavshvalrossene. I enkelte miljøer
regner man en tredje underart som har tilhold i Laptevhavet (Odobenus
rosmarus laptevi). Denne underarten er svært lik Stillehavshvalrossene, og det
er omstridt om det er vitenskapelig grunnlag for å skille disse.
Stillehavshvalrossene finner man generelt i Beringhavet og Tsjuktsjerhavet, med
sørlig utbredelse ned til Bristol Bay i Alaska på østsiden og Kamtsjatka i Russland
på vestsiden. Om sommeren når isen trekker seg tilbake finnes de også i
Beauforthavet og i Østsibirhavet. I tillegg finnes
det da som tidligere nevnt hvalross i
Laptevhavet. Atlanterhavshvalrossene finnes i
vest fra østkanadisk Arktis til vest-Grønland
inklusive Davisstredet og Baffinbukta. I
nordøstlige Atlanterhavet finnes hvalross langs
kysten av øst-Grønland, Svalbard og Franz Josef
Land og ned til sørlige Barentshavet og
Karahavet.
I norske farvann finner man hovedsakelig
hvalross på Svalbard og disse er en del av en
felles Svalbard - Franz Josef Land bestand. Det
observeres også årlig individer langs kysten av
fastlands-Norge, hovedsaklig i de nordligste
fylkene, men også år om annet i sydligere strøk
som f. eks Oslofjorden. Oftest er disse
besøkende enslige voksne hanner. De fleste
hvalrossene på Svalbard er hanner, med noe
hunner og kalver på østsiden av Nordaustlandet,
mens de fleste hunnene og kalvene i denne
bestanden finnes over mot Frans Josef Land. I
de senere år er det observert mer og mer
hunner med kalver i Svalbardområdet ettersom
bestanden øker og de begynner å finne tilbake
til sine gamle liggeplasser.
faktaark nr. 1 side 1
Biologi
Hvalrossene foretrekker store grunnhavsområder med egnede
bunnforhold for de byttedyrene de beiter på, og det bør helst
være områder i nærheten hvor de kan legge seg opp og hvile.
Sistnevnte er ofte isflak, men strender, holmer og skjær
benyttes også om sommeren og høsten. Når de ligger oppe og
hviler seg er de ekstremt sosiale og ligger gjerne tett inntil og
av og til oppå hverandre. Siden hvalrossene spiser i relativt
grunne farvann er de fleste av dykkene de foretar kortvarige og
ikke særlig dype. Hovedføden er muslinger som de finner ved å
stikke de følsomme værhårene sine ned i sedimentet. De
fjerner løst sediment bort fra maten enten ved å vifte med
fremsveivene eller ved å spyle det vekk ved å blåse vann ut av
munnen, for så å suge bløtdelene ut av muslingene og spytte ut
skallet. Tusenvis av muslinger kan konsumeres i et måltid.
Noen hvalrosser tar også fugler, mens andre spiser andre
marine pattdyr, vanligvis ringsel. Isbjørn og spekkhoggere tar
hvalrosser, og da særlig kalver. Dyr som prøver å ta hvalross
må likevel passe seg, da disse er gode til å forsvare seg, og
særlig hvis de er i vannet vil hele flokken kunne hjelpe til med å
forsvare seg mot et angripende rovdyr.
Hvalrossene får unger i mai. Hvalrossungen dier mora i 2-3 år.
Den drikker en mindre fettrik melk enn det de ekte selene gjør.
Mødrene er alltid sammen med de små ungene, og tar de med
seg til havs når de må ut å spise. Ungene kan die mora ute på
havet ved at de henger opp ned under vann holdt oppe av
fremsveivene til mora. De unge kalvene begynner å ta til seg
annen føde ved siden av melka når de er rundt 5 måneder
gamle, og lærer antakelig mye av mora om hvordan de skal
finne mat i den resterende delen av dieperioden. Hvalrossmora
parer seg igjen rundt 9 måneder etter at den fikk ungen mens
det ennå er mye over et år før denne er avvendt. Parringen
foregår i desember og januar. Hannene har små territorier i
vannet hvor de vokaliserer og viser seg frem for hunnene. De er
svært aggressive mot andre hanner og det er ikke uvanlig at de
skader hverandre i kamper. Parringen foregår i vannet. Når en
kalv er avvendt forblir den i flokken til mora hvis den er av
hunnkjønn, mens avvendte kalver av hannkjønn slutter seg til
de rene hannflokkene. Disse holder seg gjerne for seg selv hele
året utenom parringstiden. Hunnene får gjerne den første
ungen sin når de er rundt 10 år gamle. Hannene blir også
kjønnsmodne ved denne alderen, men er normalt ikke sterke
nok til å få sjanse til å parre seg før de er 15 år gamle.
Hvalrosser kan bli over 40 år gamle.
Bestandstatus
Man regner med at det finnes omkring 200 000
Stillehavshvalrosser og rundt 20 000-30 000
Atlanterhavshvalrosser. På Svalbard var engang hvalrossene
svært tallrike, men 350 år med intens fangst gjorde at denne
bestanden nesten ble utryddet. Da hvalrossene på Svalbard ble
fredet i 1952 antok man at det bare var et par hundre dyr
igjen. Etter over 50 år med fredning er bestanden fortsatt lav,
men antallet hvalross har vært stigende de senere årene, og en
omfattende telling av dyr på øygruppen utført høsten 2006 viste
at det var rundt 2500 hvalross på Svalbard. I tillegg finnes det
et ukjent antall dyr i denne bestanden som oppholdt seg ved
Frans Josef Land når tellingen ble foretatt. Siden hvalrossene på
Svalbard ikke blir jaktet, og de også i svært liten grad er
påvirket av interaksjoner med kommersielle fiskerier, vil det
være effekter av fremtidige klimaendringer og ulike
forurensningsstoffer som potensielt vil utgjøre en trussel for
denne bestanden i fremtiden. Undersøkelser av miljøgifter i
hvalrossene fra Svalbard viser en stor individuell variasjon, noe
som tolkes som en effekt av ulik diett. De som spiser vanlig
hvalrosskost fra lavt nede i næringskjeden som muslinger og
andre bløtdyr, har lave verdier, mens de som har innslag av sel
i dietten får mye høyere verdier. Ulike effekter av
klimaendringer på denne bestanden kan være vanskelig å
forutse, men i hvertfall når det gjelder redusert isutbredelse så
er hvalrossene bedre rustet til å møte dette enn mange andre
arktiske selarter i og med at de i tillegg til is også bruker land
som hvileområder.
Hvalross som ligger på en strand på østsiden av
Svalbard. Når de ligger oppe og hviler seg er de
ekstremt sosiale og ligger gjerne tett inntil og av og til
oppå hverandre.
www.artsdatabanken.no


Norwegian Bokmål

Hvalross : Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus

Davies, Caroline E.

van Parijs, Sofie M.

Development of display behavior in young captive bearded seals

Skarstein, Frode

173Skarstein 2006: Polar Research 25(2), 173–179
In May this year, a Briton named Alex Hartley gamely 
claimed as his personal territory a tiny island in Sval-
bard that had been revealed by retreating ice. Sval bard’s 
islands have a long history of claims and counter-claims 
by adventurers of diverse nations: the question of who 
owns the Arctic is an old one. In this next article in our 
unreviewed biographical/historical series, Frode Skarstein 
describes Norway’s bid to wrest a corner of Greenland 
from the Danish crown 75 years ago.
Erik the Red’s Land: the land that never was
Frode Skarstein
Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway, 
Skarstein@npolar.no.
“Saturday, 27th of June, 1931. Eventful day. A long coded telegram late last 
night that I deciphered during the night. At fi ve pm we hoisted the fl ag and 
occupied the land from Calsbergfjord to Besselsfjord. It will be exciting to 
see how it develops.” (Devold 1931: author’s translation.)
Although not as pithy as the Unity’s log entry from 1616—“Cape Hoorn in 57° 48' S. 
Rounded 8 p.m.”—when the southern tip of the Americas was fi rst rounded (Hough 
1971), the above diary entry by Hallvard Devold is still a salient understatement 
given the context in which it was made. The next day Devold sent the following 
telegram to a select few Norwegian newspapers: 
“In the presence of Eiliv Herdal, Tor 
Halle, Ingvald Strøm and Søren Rich-
ter, the Norwegian fl ag has been hoisted 
today in Myggbukta. And the land 
between Carls berg fjord to the south and 
Bessel fjord to the north occupied in His 
Majesty King Haakon’s name. We have 
named the country Erik the Red’s Land.” 
(Smedal 1934: 127; author’s translation.)
Pawns in their game: Devold (left) and 
fellow expe di tion mem bers during the 
1931 occupation of Erik the Red’s Land. 
(Photographs courtesy of the Norwegian 
Polar Institute Picture Library.)
174 Erik the Red’s Land
Thus, the Norwegian occupation of a vast territory in East Greenland, considered 
by most of the world to be Danish, was a fact (Blom 1973).
Devold, then in charge of a trapping expedition based at Myggbukta, East 
Greenland, was originally educated as an economist at the University of Oslo. 
Fuelled by a frustration with routine banking work and a passionate desire for 
hunting and other outdoor pursuits, he quit his job. Through employment in various 
exploratory activities in Arctic areas such as northern Norway, Svalbard and Jan 
Mayen, he gained experience with, and a strong taste for, expedition life in the far 
north (Devold 1940). When, in 1931, Devold and his trapping expedition occupied 
a segment of East Greenland in the name of the Norwegian king, it was a private 
initiative, carefully designed to force the Norwegian government to follow suit and 
give its support to the private occupation. The masterminds behind this plot were 
Adolf Hoel and Gustav Smedal. Hoel was an infl uential Norwegian geologist who 
was head of Norway’s Svalbard and Arctic Ocean Survey (Norges Svalbard- og 
175Skarstein 2006: Polar Research 25(2), 173–179
Ishavsundersøkelser), which evolved into the Norwegian Polar Institute. Smedal 
was a lawyer with strong nationalistic infl uences. Both men were wholeheartedly 
involved in the acquisition of Arctic territories for Norway (Blom 1973). Hoel’s 
efforts in securing Svalbard and later Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica as 
Norwegian territories were crucial to the process. With well tended connections in 
the Norwegian government and parliament, Hoel and—especially—Smedal tried 
to rouse the Norwegian government into offi cially annexing East Greenland in the 
late 1920s, but to no avail. The Norwegian government was determined to approach 
the matter through negotiation.
Greenland fi rst came under Norwegian rule when, in the year 1261, the Norse 
population in Greenland requested to be ruled by the Norwegian King Håkon 
IV Håkonsson (H. Ingstad 1966). This most remote Norse colony then followed 
Norway into the union with Denmark in 1384. After the Kiel treaty of 1814, Norway 
was ceded to Sweden as compensation for Sweden’s loss of Finland and Åland to 
Russia. However, a parenthetical clause in the fi nal draft of the treaty stipulated 
that although Denmark gave up Norway itself, Norway’s colonial possessions of 
Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland remained under the Danish crown. Here 
lay the root of the confl ict that was to culminate with the Norwegian annexation 
of eastern Greenland. This treaty was never accepted by Norway. With Norway 
Two important actors in the East Greenland confl ict. To the right, Norwegian Hallvard Devold, 
leader of the private occupation in 1931, and third from the right, the Dane Lauge Koch, leader of 
the daunting Danish three-year expedition that stirred Smedal into putting into action his scheme 
to provoke an offi cial Norwegian claim to Erik the Red’s Land. The picture is taken in March 
1927 at Hold-with-Hope, during the Foldvik expedition of 1926–28, well before the plot had been 
conceived.
176 Erik the Red’s Land
coping with a new union (with Sweden), 100 years passed before the ownership of 
Greenland was seriously disputed again (Blom 1971).
Since the early 1920s, tensions between Norway and Denmark had been 
slowly rising on the East Greenland issue, with Denmark responding to increased 
Norwegian activity in East Greenland and an awakening national Norwegian 
feeling on the subject. Beginning in early 1776 (and lasting until 1950), entry into 
Greenland was severely limited through a Danish state monopoly. The purpose of 
this monopoly was to protect the native Greenlandic culture from the damaging 
effects unrestricted contact with the European civilization would certainly entail. 
However, this system also made foreign offshore economic utilization, such as 
fi shing, very diffi cult given the vast distances between the vessels’ home bases 
and Greenland. The policing of these restrictions was in practice limited to the 
southern and western coasts of Greenland. However, it was feared in Norway that if 
Danish sovereignty over Greenland were left unchallenged, the exercise of Danish 
sovereignty would be extended to include East Greenland and the monopoly could 
interfere with Norwegian trapping activities on the east coast of Greenland (Blom 
1971).
From the 1920s on, economic interests and a national Norwegian opposition to 
Denmark and Danish rule dominated Norwegian discourse on the East Greenland 
issue. Several non-governmental special interest groups formed around economic 
or nationalistic interests, or both. The opinion in Norway could be divided between 
those who wanted to maintain negotiations with Denmark and those who felt that such 
negotiations were futile and urged more direct action. Both countries, but especially 
Norway, started a process of establishing rights to the territory through use and 
exploration. The establishment of the Norwegian telegraph station in Myggbukta in 
1922 was a turning point: after this time exploratory activities virtually exploded. 
The Norwegian delega-
tion to the Hague, the 
Netherlands, during the 
preparation for the court 
trial in November 1932. 
Adolf Hoel is seated on 
the right, with Gustav 
Smedal seated next to 
him.
177Skarstein 2006: Polar Research 25(2), 173–179
The 15 years before 1922 saw about fi ve research-related expeditions, with a total 
of fi ve overwintering events. During the 15 years after 1922, about 20 expeditions 
and nine overwinterings occurred (Mikkelsen 2001).
The number of trapping expeditions increased even more dramatically 
(Mikkelsen 2001). In 1929, to promote the interests of their respective nations, 
the Danish Østgrønlandske Fangst kompani Nanok (East Greenland Trapping 
Company Nanok) and the Norwegian Arktisk Næringsdrift (Arctic Commercial 
Enterprise) were created. Both companies aimed at exploiting natural resources 
through activities like trapping in East Greenland. A notable feature of efforts to 
claim the land during this time was the erection of buildings. In the period between 
1908 and 1931, Norwegian trappers put up more than 80 buildings. In 1926, an 
expedition headed by Hallvard Devold initiated a trapping scheme that utilized 
extended chains of cabins separated by the space of a day’s dog sled travel. These 
cabins enabled the trappers to tend traps across great expanses of land (Devold 
1940). The trappers’ diaries and memoirs reveal that they were eager to extend 
their networks of cabins, which were concrete evidence of their use of the land and 
would therefore strengthen their claims to it (Giæver 1931; H. Ingstad 1935; Devold 
1940).
Protracted negotiations about the sovereignty issue and rights to economic 
exploitation stalled in 1924 with the Østgrønlandsavtalen (East Greenland Agree-
ment), which was limited in scope and was only a temporary agreement (Mikkelsen 
2001). In December 1930, the outline of a Danish three-year expedition scheduled 
to embark in the summer of 1931 became known (Koch 1955). Gustav Smedal, the 
nationalistic lawyer introduced earlier in this account, felt that the extent of this 
expedition would tip the balance in favour of the Danish. Although many options 
had been explored during the spring and early summer of 1931, it had become clear 
to Smedal and Adolf Hoel that the Norwegian government would not attempt to 
annex East Greenland on its own initiative (Smedal 1934). Material documenting 
A large number of 
cabins like this one at 
Holm bugt was built in 
the period between the 
occupation of 1931 and 
the Hague ruling. This 
cabin, optimistically 
fl ying the Norwegian 
fl ag, was built by the 
Polarbjørn crew for 
Helge Ingstad’s 1932–34 
expedition.
178 Erik the Red’s Land
how the private occupation actually came 
about is scanty, with the exception of the 
rich private diaries of Smedal himself. His 
main argument for a private occupation 
was that it would make the Norwegian 
government see that even the trappers 
feared that the upcoming Danish three-
year expedition would loosen Norway’s 
grip on the territory. Furthermore, a private 
occupation would be sure to elicit press 
coverage and if the newspapers leaned 
in favour of a Norwegian annexation 
of East Greenland, it would be diffi cult 
for the government to forsake the tiny 
band of trappers on this remote Arctic 
island. According to his diary, Smedal 
was virtually alone in the belief that a 
private occupation would stir the state 
into action. The events, however, played 
out as Smedal thought they would. On 10 
July, after intense lobbying by Smedal, 
Hoel and the special interest groups, an 
unanimous Norwegian government voted 
to occupy the areas that Devold and his 
crew had declared Norwegian.
In April 1933, the Permanent Court of 
International Justice, in the Hague, ruled 
against Norway, and Denmark’s claims 
to sovereignty over the whole island of Greenland were acknowledged. Helge 
Ingstad—the lawyer, trapper and explorer who later gained reknown for his dis-
covery (with his archaeologist wife) of the remains of a Viking settlement in New-
found land (A. S. Ingstad 1975)—overwintered as gov ernor of Erik the Red’s Land 
from 1932 to 1933. In his account of the time spent in East Greenland, Ingstad 
described the moment at Antarctichavn, after a year of trapping and building cabins, 
when the telegram with the court ruling arrived. His words probably expressed the 
suppressed feelings shared by most of the trappers, who saw their emotional and 
economic investment in Erik the Red’s Land vanish:
“He [the radio operator], doesn’t say anything, just hands me a telegram. 
It reads: ‘Norway in the Hague court, case lost on all issues.’ Not much is 
said. But, as if coincidentally, it hap pens that, one after the other, we get 
Helge Ingstad, appointed governor of Erik 
the Red’s Land, in the Davyfjord area of 
East Greenland, 1933. After the Hague 
ruling, Ingstad left for Spits bergen, where he 
served as regional governor for several years. 
(Photo: John Giæver, courtesy Norwegian 
Polar Institute Picture Library.)
179Skarstein 2006: Polar Research 25(2), 173–179
up quietly and make our way out of the cabin. Around us the country rests, 
sparkling white under the spring sun. [...] Nansenryggen, Steinrøysdalen and 
the mount where the fi rst musk ox was shot. Beyond, the promised land rises 
with mountain upon mountain, all this which we have lived with and assumed 
was ours.” (H. Ingstad 1935: 134; author’s translation.)
The Norwegian government accepted the international court’s ruling and since 
then has not in any signifi cant manner challenged Danish sovereignty over the 
whole of Greenland. If nothing else, the sovereignty confl ict between Denmark and 
Norway served to boost exploration and research in East Greenland, which proceeds 
at a pace and to an extent that probably would have taken decades to achieve without 
the economic and nationalistic motivations that fuelled the confl ict.
References
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Devold, H. 1931: Dagbok fra overvintringen på Østgrønland 1929–31. (Diary from the 
overwintering in East Greenland 1929–31.) Unpublished diary at the Norwegian Polar 
Institute Library, Tromsø.
Devold, H. 1940: Polarliv. (Polar life.) Oslo: Gyldendal.
Drivenes, E. & Jølle, H. D. 2004: Norsk polarhistorie. (Norwegian polar history.) Oslo:
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Giæver, J. 1931: To mann i Moskusfjorden. Da vi bebygget og okkuperte Eirik Raude’s 
land. (Two men in Moskusfjorden. When we built up and occupied Erik the Red’s Land.) 
Oslo: Gyldendal.
Hough, R. A. 1971: The blind Horn’s hate. New York: Norton.
Ingstad, A. S. 1975: Det nye land med de grønne enger. (The new land with the green 
meadows.) Oslo: Gyldendal.
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Ingstad, H. 1966: Land under the pole star: a voyage to the Norse settlements of Greenland 
and the saga of the people that vanished. London: Jonathan Cape.
Koch, L. 1955: Report on the expeditions to central East Greenland 1926–39. Copen-
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Mikkelsen, P. S. 2001: Nordøstgrønland 1908–1960: fangstmannsperioden. (Northeast 
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