Ahlstrandhalvøya: visit first, pronounce later
The peninsula of Ahlstrandhalvøya, located in central Spitsbergen, houses a multitude of cultural remains from the days of Svalbard’s hunting and whaling period. To name just a few, there’s the 17th-century Russian Pomor station in Ingebrigtsenbukta, various bases and houses built by fishermen and explorers both British and Norwegian, and the overturned remnants of two whaling ships.
The bones of Ahlstrandhalvøya and its wildlife
If we’re able to make a landing at Ahlstrandhalvøya, you may notice the richness of limestone and sandstone sedimentary formations in the area. And assuming conditions do not prevent us from viewing the beaches to the southeast, you may also be able to see the piles of whale bones scattered along the stark Arctic shore, further proof of the hunting activities once so common to Ahlstrandhalvøya.
