Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Svalbard / Longyearbyen / Funken Lodge
Funken Lodge
Longyearbyen, Svalbard · Independent · Core Luxury
The 1947 building Longyearbyen considers its grandest historic structure was built for the Store Norske Spitsbergen Coal Company, designed by architect Jacob Olav Martin Hanssen, who also designed Oslo's Colosseum Cinema. Hurtigruten Svalbard bought it in 1993, opened a hotel in 1994, and rechristened it Funken Lodge in 2018 after a luxury renovation marking the building's 70th anniversary.
- 88 rooms
- Opened 1991
- Neighborhood: Haugen
- Architect: Jacob Olav Martin Hanssen
About Funken Lodge
- Completed in 1947 for the Store Norske Spitsbergen Coal Company, designed by Jacob Olav Martin Hanssen, who also designed Oslo's Colosseum Cinema.
- Its name derives from 'Funktionaermessa,' the civil servants' mess it once housed; a 1953 extension was destroyed by an avalanche the same year.
- Hurtigruten Svalbard bought the building in 1993, opened it as a hotel in 1994, and renamed it Funken Lodge in 2018.
History
Funken Lodge occupies Longyearbyen's grandest historic building, originally constructed just after the Second World War for the Store Norske Spitsbergen Coal Company (SNSK). Its foundations were laid soon after the war and the building was completed in 1947, designed by architect Jacob Olav Martin Hanssen, who is also known for Oslo's Colosseum Cinema. Built as accommodation, mess hall and the coal company's official representational building for its administrative staff, its interior and architecture made it the grandest structure in town. Its name derives from 'Funktionaermessa,' the civil-servants' mess. An extension added in 1953 was destroyed the same year by an avalanche.
Hurtigruten Svalbard bought the building from SNSK in 1993 and converted it into a hotel, opening a new, larger hotel section in 1994. It operated for years as the Spitsbergen Hotel. In 2017-2018, to mark the building's 70th anniversary, Hurtigruten Svalbard undertook a comprehensive luxury renovation and rechristened it Funken Lodge, restoring it to its place as Longyearbyen's most refined address.
The setting
2 km from Svalbard Museum. 7 km from Svalbard Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- Funktionmaerssen restaurant — Restaurant
- Camp Barentz — Restaurant · traditional reindeer bidos
- Repen dining area — Restaurant
Experiences
- Wine tastings in the historic cellar — Guided tastings of hidden gems curated by the expert sommelier in the atmospheric cellars.
- Arctic adventures — Hiking under the midnight sun, snowmobiling through white silence, or sailing across the fjords.
Amenities
- Sauna
- Fitness center
- Wine cellar
- Cinema
Open Funken Lodge in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.