Cast & crew

Grumant: The Island of Communism

Name: Grumant: The Island of Communism
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2014-12-11
Duration: 53 min

2014
53m

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Svalbard is the northernmost place in Europe to have a permanent population. It is mainly inhabited by Norwegians and Russians. The main industries are coal mining and fishing. Two major settlements are the Norwegian community of Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard, and the Russian community of Barentsburg.
Our film shows how the Barentsburg coal miners live during the polar night. The weekdays are tough. During the week, there is just one day off. Main holidays are the New Year and the "Welcoming the Sun" Day. For over six months, they do not see any sun here. That is why this holiday is so important.
Barentsburg has a northernmost Lenin monument, a northernmost railway, a northernmost pig farm etc.
There is no money in Barentsburg. Its canteen and its shops use only cashless payments. Tourists who come to Barentsburg nicknamed it "The Island of Communism".

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RussianDocumentary

Svalbard (formerly Spitsbergen) was discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596. At the same time the archipelago started featuring on Russian maps under the name of the Holy Russian Isles. It had... Read allSvalbard (formerly Spitsbergen) was discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596. At the same time the archipelago started featuring on Russian maps under the name of the Holy Russian Isles. It had been known to Russian Pomors under the name of Grumant already in 12th century: they ofte... Read allSvalbard (formerly Spitsbergen) was discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596. At the same time the archipelago started featuring on Russian maps under the name of the Holy Russian Isles. It had been known to Russian Pomors under the name of Grumant already in 12th century: they often spent winters here. Varangians who visited the archipelago called it Svalbard. In 1920 a... Read all