Lighthouses of Norway: Svalbard

The Kingdom of Norway (Norge in Norwegian) is one of the world's most maritime nations. The country is long and narrow, with drowned valleys called fjords that bring the sea far inland in most regions. The mainland coast is estimated to be 2650 km (1650 mi) long and when all the islands and minor indentations are counted the total coastline approaches an astonishing 60,000 km (37,500 mi), long enough the go around the world one and a half times. With such a lengthy and rocky shore it's not surprising that Norway has a large number of lighthouses.

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean roughly 800 km (500 mi) north of Norway's North Cape and a similar distance from the North Pole. Under the 1925 Svalbard Treaty the territory is part of the Kingdom of Norway but other countries have the right to exploit mineral resources (meaning coal). The only nation exercising this right is Russia, which has a mining settlement of about 600 residents at Barentsburg. The Norwegian town Longyearbyen, with a population of about 1800, is the northernmost town in the world. Both Barentsburg and Longyearbyen are on the Isfjord, which cuts across the main island from west to east.

Svalbard is governed as an unincorporated territory of Norway with a governor appointed by the national government. In recent years Svalbard has become accessible by adventure cruise ships.

All the lighthouses are on Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. (Historically the entire territory was often called Spitsbergen.) Around 2023 the Kystverket began installing many new fiberglass lighthouses in Svalbard in response to an increasing number of visitors to the territory.

In Norwegian a lighthouse is a fyrtårn (fire tower) or simply a fyr; a fyrlykt is a beacon and a lyktehus is a lantern. Øy is an island, holmen is an islet, skjær is a skerry (a tiny island or rocky reef), sund is a strait (often between an island and the mainland), bukt is a bay, nes is a headland, and havn is a harbor.

Aids to navigation in Norway are maintained by the Kystverket (Coast Directorate), an agency of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. NF numbers are from the Norsk Fyrliste. Admiralty numbers are from volume L of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 115.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Norway - Spitsbergen West Coast
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Contributors for Svalbard include, Ina Rendtel, Rainer Arndt, and Erich Hartmann..
Lighthouses in Svalbard
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Svalbard
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Norsk Fyrliste
The official Norwegian light list can be downloaded in six .pdf volumes.
GPSNavigationCharts
Navigation chart information for Svalbard.
Google Maps
Satellite view of Spitsbergen.


Kapp Linné Fyr, Isfjord, July 2022
Google Maps drone view by Stian Fjeldstad

Southwestern Spitsbergen Lighthouses
Skjemmeneset (Sørkapp)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white flash every 2 s. Approx. 5 m (17 ft) tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Skjemmeneset is the southern tip of Spitsbergen island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. NF-998500; Admiralty L4300.5.
Hornsund
Date unknown. Active (unofficial); white light. Post light attached to one corner of one of the buildings of the Polish Polar Station. Wikimedia has a closeup photo and Google has a satellite view of the station. This light is not listed as an official aid to navigation but it obviously helps to guide vessels arriving at the station. Located on the north side of the Hornsund (Isbjørnhamn), a fjord entrance about 100 km (60 mi) south of Bellsund. Site open, tower closed.
Kapp Martin (Bellsund)
1946. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with an enclosed upper portion. Lighthouse painted black, enclosure red. A white band mentioned by the Admiralty and by NGA is not seen in Manfred Bartels's photo. The light is at the far right in Jacek Drecki's photo and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the cape on the north side of the entrance to the Bellsund, about 50 km (30 mi) south of Kapp Linné. Probably accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SVA-009; NF-995600; Admiralty L4302; NGA 17816.
Akseløya
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 7 m (23 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with an enclosed upper portion. Lighthouse painted black, enclosure red. A 2017 photo is at right, the Kystverket has a photo, Manfred Bartels has a photo, and Bing has a distant satellite view. Akseløy is a long, narrow island that blocks most of the entrance to the Van Milenfjord from the Bellsund. Located at the northern point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SVA-006; NF-995800; Admiralty L4304; NGA 17820.
Blåhuken (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 6 m (20 ft) square fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. Polar Quest has Erik Edvardsson's 2022 photo (also seen at right) and Google has a satellite view. NGA lists a skeletal tower. Located on a sharp promontory on the north side of the Van Mijenfjord. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. NF-996000; Admiralty L4306; NGA 17824.

Isfjord Southside and Grønfjord Lighthouses
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Svalbard, is located on the south shore of the Isfjord, a long inlet in the center of Spitsbergen. The Grønfjord is a southern branch of the Isfjord, leads to Barentsberg, the Russian coal mining settlemnet. Longyearbyen has about 2600 residents and Barentsburg about 300.

Isfjord (Kapp Linné)
1933. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with an enclosed upper portion. The original lantern has been removed and the light is now displayed from a short post mounted on the gallery. A closeup from Stian Fjeldstad's 2022 drone view is at the top of this page, Trabas has Arndt's 2012 photo, and Google has a satellite view. There is a historic radio station near the lighthouse and accommodations are available at the station. This is often considered to be the world's northernmost traditional lighthouse, standing in latitude 78°03.8' N, although the Vestpynten light and other small lights are farther north. Located on the point of the cape, marking the south side of the entrance to the Isfjord. Accessible only by boat or helicopter, or perhaps by snowmobile from Barentsburg. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SVA-005; NF-986000; Admiralty L4314; NGA 17804.


Akseløya Light, Bellsund, April 201
Flickr photo by Natureinfocus


Blåhuken Fyr, Van Mijenfjord, June 2022
PolarQuest.se photo by Erik Edvardsson

Starostinaksla (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 98 m (322 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) square fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's very distant 2024 view from the fjord but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. Bing has a satellite view that shows the nearby aerobeacon. NGA lists a "structure." Located at the southern entrance to of the Isfjord about 8 km 5 mi) northeat of Kapp Linné. Site open, tower closed. NF-986100; Admiralty L4315.5; NGA 17806.
[Festningen (2?)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 10 s. 3 m (10 ft) post attached to a small white equipment cabinet. Trabas has Arndt's photo and a shadow of the light is seen in Bing's satellite view. Located on a small island marking the west side of the entrance to the Grønfjord leading to the Russian settlement of Barentsburg. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. NF-986200; Admiralty L4316; NGA 17808.
Finneset
Date unknown. Active (maintained by the Russian base management); focal plane 11 m (36 ft); occulting white light. Approx. 7 m (25 ft) square wood skeletal tower surrounded by an unpainted wood slatted daymark. Trabas has Arndt's photo and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the east side of the Grønfjord just south of the Russian settlement of Barentsburg. Site status unknown. Not in the Norsk Fyrliste; Site open, tower closed. Admiralty L4317.5; NGA 17811.
Kapp Heer
Date unknown. Active (maintained by the Russian base management); focal plane 18 m (59 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) square wood skeletal tower. Trabas has Arndt's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of the Isfjord and the east side of the entrance to the Grønfjord leading to the Russian settlement of Barentsburg. Site open, tower closed. NF-991000; Admiralty L4317.7; NGA 17809.
* [Vestpynten (Longyearbyen) (2)]
Around 2015. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) hexagonal post with solar panels mounted on its south face. This modern light replaced a 5 m (17 ft) wood skeletal tower with a light mounted on a small equipment cabinet. Andrew Shiva's 2016 photo at right shows both lights, Trabas has Hartmann's 2017 view from the sea showing both lights, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Wikimedia has another photo of the new light anda 2025 closeup is available. Lightphotos.net has a closeup 2013 photo of the previous light. Located on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Longyearbyen from the Isfjord, adjacent to the airport. Site open, and visitors can climb the stairs to the gallery of the older light. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SVA-004; NF-986400; Admiralty L4318; NGA 17812.


Old (right) and new Vestpynten Lights, Longyearbyen, July 2016
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Andrew Shiva

Kapp Thordsen (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's very distant 2024 view but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. The earlier light was on a post. Located on a promontary cape at a fork in the upper Isfjord. Site open, tower closed. NF-86700; Admiralty L4321; NGA 17815.N78°20.99' 
Deltaneset
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's very distant 2024 view but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located atop a cliff on a headland opposite the Kapp Thordsen Light on the south side of the Isfjord. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty NF-86600; L4322; NGA 17828..

Billefjord Lighthouses
The Billefjord is a northeastern branch of the Isfjord . It leads to Pyraamiden, a Russian coal mining settlement abandoned in 1998. Russia has preserved the buildings and operates the forme community as an attraction for ecotours.

Gåsøyane
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 55 m (10 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 view from the fjord and the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on an island on the east side of the entrance to the Billefjord. Site open, tower closed. NF-987002; Admiralty L4325.
Phantomodden
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 view from the fjord and the light may be seen as a smudge in Google's satellite view. Located on a promontary on the east side of the Billefjord,. Site open, tower closed. NF-987003; Admiralty L4325.5..
Kapp Ekholm (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 photo seen at right) but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. The earlier light was on a post. Located on a promontary on the east side of the Billefjord. Site open, tower closed. NF-987000; Admiralty L4326; NGA 17836.
Lykteneset
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s.. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 phoo and the light but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a low headland on the upper east side of the Billefjord,. Site open, tower closed. NF-986803; Admiralty L4325.7.
Rudmosepynten (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 view from the fjord and the light may be seen as a smudge in Google's satellite view. NGA lists a "white hut." Located on a low headland on the upper west side of the Billefjord,. Site open, tower closed. NF-986803; Admiralty L4330; NGA 17840..
Narveneset
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 view from the fjord and the light may be seen as a smudge in Google's satellite view. Located on a low headland on the west side of the Billefjord,. Site open, tower closed. NF-986803; Admiralty L4328.
Kapp Fleur de Lyss (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 60 m (197 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 view from the fjord and the light may be seen as a smudge in Google's satellite view. Located on a high capr on the west side of the Billefjord,. Site open, tower closed. NF-986802; Admiralty L4325.4;; NGA 17830.
Rundodden
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 2 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 view from the fjord and the light may be seen as a smudge in Google's satellite view. Located on the west side of the entrance to the Billefjord. Site open, tower closed. NF-86800; Admiralty L4324.1.


Kapp Ekholm Light, Longyearbyen, July 2016
photo copyright Ina Rendtel


Northwestern Spitsbergen Lighthouses
Bohemanneset (2)
Date unknown.. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. 6 m (16 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a sharp cape on the north side of the Isfjord opposite Longyearbyen. Site open, tower closed. NF-986300; Admiralty L4318; NGA 17813.
Daudmannsodden (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's very distant 2024 view from the sea and Bing has a satellite view (light on the right, aerobeacon on the left). NGA lists a "structure." Located at the northern entrance to of the Isfjord.. Site open, tower closed. NF-987600; Admiralty L4315; NGA 17805.
Salpynten (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's very distant 2024 view from the sea and Google has an indistinct satellite view. NGA lists a "white hut." Located at the southern tip of Prinz Karls Forland, a long, narrow island that parallels the west coat of Spitsbergen horth of the muth of the Isfjord.. Site open, tower closed. NF-987400; Admiralty L4330.2; NGA 17841.
Sarstangen (2)
Date unknown.. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s. 6 m (16 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at thmd of a long spit from the Spitsbergen mainland that blocks half the width of the Forlandsund, the passage between Prinz Karls Forland and the mainland. Site open, tower closed. NF-987601; Admiralty L4331; NGA 17842.
Fuglehuken (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 10 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's very distant 2024 view from the sea but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located at the northern tip of Prinz Karls Forland. Site open, tower closed. NF-987800; Admiralty L4332.
Kvadehuken
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 photo from the sea but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view. Located at the south side of the entrance to the Kongsfjord.. Site open, tower closed. NF-988000; Admiralty L4332.5.
Grotten (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 photo from the sea and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on an island in the center of the Kongsfjord.. Site open, tower closed. NF-995500; Admiralty L4334.5.
Brandalspynten (1 and 2)
Around 2023. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 5 m (16 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 photo (seen at right) and Bing has a satellite view. The previous light, a wood skeletal tower with a light mounted on a small equipment cabinet, stands beside the new light. The light guides ships to Ny Ålesund, a settlement on the Kongsfjord in northwestern Svalbard. The settlement supports research facilities and a launching station for sounding rockets. Wikipedia calls it the "northernmost functional civilian settlement" in the world. Located on a promontory sheltering Ny Ålesund. Site open, tower closed. NF-995000; Admiralty L4334; NGA 17848.


Kapp Ekholm Light, Ny Ålesund, July 2016
photo copyright Ina Rendtel


Northern Svalbord Lighthouses
Sørgattet Bjørnhamna
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 photo (seen at right) but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located at the south side of the entrance to the Smeerenburgfjord.. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty L4336.
Danskøya
Around 2023. Active; focal plane 9.5 m (31 ft); flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6.5 m (37 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the island of Danskøya on west side of the the Smeerenburgfjord. Site open, tower closed. NF-995910; Admiralty L4336.2;.
Mattilasoddan Mushamna
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower with a pyramidal top. Tower colored white, top red. . Trabas has Rendtel's 2024 closeup photo from the sea and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a headland on the east side of the Woodfjord in far northwestern Spitsbergen.. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty L4336.5.
Sparreneset (2)
Around 2023. Active; focal plane unknown; two white flashes every 10 s. 6 m (16 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. Trabas has ina Rendtel's 2024 view from the sea but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on the east side of the Nordport Passage, near the northern end of the Hinlopen Strait separating Spitsbergen from Nordaustlandet, the largest island of northest Svalbard. Site open, tower closed. NF-997000; Admiralty L4337.1;.
 


Sørgattet Bjørnhamna Light, Smeerenburgfjord, July 2016
photo copyright Ina Rendtel

Mesteinane (Danskøya)
Around 2023. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 6 m (16 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower colored white with two black horizontal bands; roof is red. Trabas has ina Rendtel's 2024 photo and Google has a satellite view. An older rubblestone cairn stands beside the lighthouse; it served as a daybeacon. Located on a small island in the entrance to the Smeerenburgfjord in northwest Spitsbergen. Site open, tower closed. NF-995910; Admiralty L4334;.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining page: South: Western Finnmark (Hammerfest Area)

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Posted September 2, 2010. Checked and revised January 14, 2026. Lighthouses: 32. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.