Russian Mine
If you’re looking for the world’s most northerly grand piano, then a trip to Pyramiden, an abandoned Russian coal-mining settlement in the Svalbard archipelago is in order.
The deserted town, which features a big, steeple-shaped Soviet monument, a children’s playground, a sports hall and, yes, a couple of pianos, functioned as recently as 1998 when the last of the coal was extracted.
Now you can visit by boat or snowmobile and Trust Arktikugol – the coal-mining company that operates on the islands there – has been renovating parts of the settlement to make the desolate and icy place more accommodating for tourists.
