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Did you know that there is an abandoned Russian settlement in the Arctic called Barentsburg? Wait until you see this story, it will blow your mind!!

I had to take a 2hour boat ride from Longyearbyen (the biggest town in Svalbard) which is under Norwegian control, over to Barentsburg (the secondbiggest town in Svalbard) which is under Russian control.

The two towns could not be any more different.

After visiting 169 countries and more than 500 cities, I find Barentsburg to be the absolute most bizarre town in the world.

It was purchased by the Soviet Union about 90 years ago from the Dutch because of the onsite coal mine... While there are about 400 Russian & Ukrainian miners still working here today, it's a failing business, and it's obvious that Russia keeps this place alive because they want a presence in the Arctic (think natural resources, trade routes, etc).

Walking around Barentsburg gave me flash backs to North Korea. Abandoned buildings. Seemingly staged people and culture. I still can't quite wrap my head around this!

If you enjoyed this video, please share it! It's one of my top 10 favorites of all time.

#abandoned #adventure #travel

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