Weird Places
In one Arctic town, the frozen ground changed how people think about death, burial, and survival.
Confidence
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Published
June 2026
Last Updated
June 2026
Version
1.0
Longyearbyen in Svalbard is often called the town where people are not allowed to die because bodies do not decompose normally in the frozen ground.
Longyearbyen is one of the northernmost towns in the world, located in the Arctic region of Svalbard.
Because of the cold climate and permafrost, bodies buried there may not decompose the way they would in warmer places.
This unusual environmental condition helped create the famous story that dying is not allowed there.
Not exactly. People can die there, but burials are restricted because bodies do not decompose normally in the frozen ground.
Longyearbyen is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
This page is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not professional advice.
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