From the 7th to the 13th of June a Croatian TV-crew visited the Norwegian island group Svalbard – located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
Reaching the arctic islands of Svalbard. 60 % of the island group is covered by ice.
The Croatian crew stayed in Longyearbyen which is the main community on Svalbard – counting around 2000 residents. The press trip encompassed a substantial program prepared in cooperation with the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. Through unique footage, interviews and historical narrative – the coming documentary will give viewers a deeper insight into the social, environmental, economic and political aspects of this remote part of the world.
Arctic adventure
The TV-crew participated on different adventure trips capturing footage of the unique arctic nature and wildlife. The trips included dog-sledging on snow-covered mountains with 20 polar dogs, and a boat trip on the Icefjord shooting footage of the arctic animal life, glaciers and drifting icebergs. 
The Croatian crew members got to experience a dog sledging adventure. Without noice or pollution, dog sledging is the most natural and rewarding way to discover the snow-covered wilderness.
The Icefjord outside Longyearbyen is frozen in the winter. But when summer comes, the ice slowly melts, giving access for boat passing up and down the fjord.
The TV-crew also visited a range of unique sites. There among the northernmost satellite station - Svalsat - encompassing global operators as NASA and the European counterpart ESA. 
The Croatian cameraman in front of NASAs satelite on Svalbard. One of many international operators present in this unique arctic location.
Longyearbyen is an old mining community – and the coal industry is still one of the main pillars underpinning social and economic activity on Svalbard. The Croatian crew visited Mine 7 - the settlement's only operating mine, providing electricity to the citizens of Longyearbyen. The cameraman was allowed to travel 3 km into the mountain capturing unique footage of the hard working environment inside the black and dusty coal mine.
The crew also visited the Global seed vault-located in the mountainside just outside Longyearbyen. The seed vault contains seed samples from all over the world and is funded and established by Norway with the purpose to protect and secure the planets biodiversity.
Exclusive footage from inside the global seed vault - safekeeping crop seeds for centuries - will be featured in the documentary on Croatian television in the fall.
A vulnerable region
The interest in the Arctic region has increased significantly during recent years. It is here the consequences of the climate change - like warmer air and sea temperatures, melting ice and raising sea levels - is the most evident. Melting ice is also easing the access to undiscovered oil and gas reserves. All this entails more human activity in a vulnerable arctic environment as Svalbard.
Cruizing on the icefjord outside Longyearbyen, passing icebergs that have been discharged into the sea from glaciers nearby.
One of Norway’s main arctic policies for the future is to preserve the unique and untouched natural environment on Svalbard and secure a sustainable management of the arctic resources. This policy demands knowledge and competence which is realized by the establishment of the world's northernmost higher education institution (UNIS) in Longyearbyen. Students and international researchers come here from all over the world to study the arctic environment, the effects of global warming and complex issues as glaciology, climatology and carbon storage. Through interviews conducted with government officials, university professors and international scientists, the documentary will provide a deeper insight into these issues and the challenges that lies ahead.
Life in an arctic community
Longyearbyen is an old mining community. But tourism and research activities have been expanding rapidly the last years. The town is located in a valley surrounded by snow covered mountains with wooden colorful houses dotting the treeless rocky landscape. Reindeers are grassing along the roads and polar bears are roaming on the ice – not far away.
Longyearbyen is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world. The settlement has approximately 2000 inhabitants, coming from 40 different countries all over the world.
During the stay in Longyearbyen the Croatian TV-crew visited the northernmost church, hospital, newspaper, kinder garden, and commercial airport. Through interviews with the residents of Svalbard, the documentary will also provide a deeper insight into the arctic community and everyday life in such a remote area of the world. The harsh climate and frozen landscape naturally creates challenges for the local people. The Croatian visit took place during the very special summer season where the midnight sun shines high in the sky all day and night. During the winter however – the sun disappears for almost four month, with dropping temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius below zero.
Documentary coming on HTV1
The press trip was organized and financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Zagreb. The result of this arctic adventure will be broadcasted as a documentary on HTV1 in the fall. In addition, smaller features covering different arctic topics will be aired in the period leading up to the global climate meeting in Copenhagen in December. The exact broadcasting date and time will be posted on the Embassy's webpage.
The documentary will provide viewers fascinating footage of spectacular landscape and animal life and give a deeper insight into ordinary life in an arctic community. The documentary will hopefully also raise the public awareness of this vulnerable part of the world and the importance of a common arctic policy securing a sustainable development of the region and its precious resources.