Crosses on a Mountainside
Category
Documentary
Location
Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Gear
Olympus OM-1 and Olympus M.12-40mm F2.8
Description
These simple wooden crosses mark the site of the old cemetery in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, established in 1918 and used up to 1950. The row furthest back has the graves of several miners who died of Spanish Flu in 1918. Because of the permafrost it’s thought that the bodies haven’t fully decomposed and the virus is still alive (though, actually, I read a report on an excavation in the 1990s that said this isn't the case). Burial isn't allowed anymore, leading to the click-baity headline that "dying is illegal" in Longyearbyen - in fact cremation is allowed. Most people who are ill or elderly travel to mainland Norway and as a consequence most burials happen there.
Photographer
Feldore McHugh
Social Media
Instagram: feldore
Facebook: feldore
Website: www.feldoremchugh.com
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