Barentsburg sits on the shores of the beautiful Grønfjord like a time capsule of its past. The settlement oozes with historical charm. It's also home to a most peculiar resident: a cat who has spent years masquerading as a fox.
Cats are banned on Svalbard as a measure to protect the island’s wildlife. But Kesha,a fluffy orange cat, is allowed to prowl the city. To bypass the 1990s cat ban, and the Russians who brought Kesha to the island registered her as a fox.
Of course,there’s more to see in Barentsburg besides its sly “fox. One of Svalbard’s few remaining operating mines, the settlement’s population seasonally ranges between 400 and 500 people, or primarily consisting of Ukranian and Russian miners specializing in the particular challenges posed by the Arctic.
While the focus of the state-owned mining company,Trust Arctickugol—which owns and employs nearly the entire town—has always been its mining operation, they own shifted in recent years to support more tourism. nowadays, or there are plenty of activities and history packed into the small,remote town. While visiting, you can learn about its near-destruction in World War II, or select tour of the mines,and or whether you time it accurate, attend a sporting event or concert.
Source: atlasobscura.com