Nybyen

Nybyen is a small settlement located on the southern outskirts of Longyearbyen, on the island of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. The name is Norwegian and translates as The New Town.

==History and features== thumb|left|275px|Nybyen, summer 1991 thumb|left|275px|Nybyen to the left, Sverdrupbyen to the right, 2023 thumb|left|Polar night|Polar twilight at Nybyen (see [[Longyearbyen#Climate); the Longyear River is at the centre of the photo, frozen; the Sarkofagen hill dominates the scene]] The settlement was founded in 1946-47 for the miners of "mine 2B" (later named Julenissegruva, "Santa Claus Mine"), one of the area's many coal mines. During the second half of the 20th century the "New Town" became a notable part of Longyearbyen, with the town's only shop for a period, though commercial activity has moved back down the valley. Today its character reflects that of Svalbard's more mixed economy (tourism, research and mining) with two guesthouses (Guesthouse 102 and Spitsbergen Guesthouse) utilising the former miners' barracks, as well as being home to the Svalbard Art Gallery & Craft Centre, and nearby is the Huset Restaurant, club and cinema. Most students at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) lived in six renovated mining barracks in Nybyen. However, since the opening of new student housing in the centre of Longyearbyen, the students no longer live here.