Hornsund

Hornsund is the southernmost fjord of Spitsbergen, a wide inlet surrounded by jagged peaks and more than a dozen glaciers, and a regular stop for expedition ships sailing up from Norway or around the archipelago. Near its mouth the Polish Polar Station has run year round since the 1950s, and its researchers sometimes welcome visitors. Across the fjord, the old trappers' station at Gnålodden stands below a cliff where thousands of little auks and kittiwakes nest. The peak of Hornsundtind rises at the head of the fjord, and polar bears are often seen along the shore. Landings are made by inflatable boat and depend on the ice.