Nybyen=New Town brakke=barrack
Our student dorms are in Nybyen. The first of these barracks were built in 1946 and each of them accommodated 72 men working in the mine nearby. In the seventies both the newspaper and the shop were situated in Nybyen. Today there are fewer activities in the 'city'. The gallery is in the first red building. The bakery was run by Aksel the baker, later moved down to the gas station, now banrupt. Spitsbergen travel's 'Nybyen Guesthouse' rents out barracks 2 and 5 during the tourist season, and SWS uses brakke 7 ('Hundreogto') as a 'touristbrakke'. There is a billard table and mini-kiosk in the reception that can be used by everyone (even students). Barracks 1,3, 4, 9, 11, and 13 are owned by the University of Tromsø Student's union (Studentsamskipnaden i Tromsø, SiTø) and are student barracks. Brakke 1 has been recently restored and is know for having the 'nicest' rooms. Mainly master students live there, therefore it's the barrack with all the mature people - yeah, right. Brakke 3, the women's barrack "Buret", has been restored as a new student barrack for short-term students. Brakke 4 has large rooms and nice colours. Brakke 11 is in the middle. Brakke 13 accomodates most people and bigger kitchens. (Partybrakke?) Barrack 9 has recently been restored and reopened. A bit clinic-like style, but sinks in each room ...

From left to right: Nybyen seen from above (Gruvefjellet), the post boxes outside barrack 4, the entrance of barrack 13

There is lot's of equipment either owned by the students or SiTø. There is especially one ore more washing machines and dryers in each barrack, that are free to use. Furthermore there is lot's of kitchen equipment (owned by the students - see their group page) floating around each barrack, ranging from the basic dishes and cutlery to waffle irons and coffee machines. We recieved a christmas tree in 2007 from Kompaniet for those students who stay on Svalbard over christmas.

As a long term student, you will share your kitchen with 4-6 others, and a bathroom with a single.

Safety
Scooters and gasoline (Jerry cans) as well as red spirit, paraffin etc. should be kept at least 4 meters from the buildings, also when the Jerry cans are empty. For bottles with fuel we have a box on a sledge wreck behind brakke 9. Near brakke 13 there is a container for keeping all flamable things. Remember to mark your stuff properly. Any fuel found in the barrack automatically becomes property of the barrack responsible, who will store it outside and enjoy it on her/his own trips. In case of fire, the emergency exits must be free and passable at all time. Don't throw the scooter suits wherever you struggled out of them. Don't use candles in the sleeping rooms. In summer 2003 a room in barrack 3 burned out because of a forgotten candle...

Noise
Please don't drive scooters around the barracks at all times. It is incredible noisy. Start the engine and let it get hot. Then drive away, Svalbard is bigger than Nybyen!

Post
As of autumn 2007 the post is delivered to Nybyen. There are postboxes outside brakke 1 and 4 but be sure to check them regularly, especially in 'bad' weather!