Established in the 1920s, Taubertalsentralen served as the sorting and logistics hub for Longyearbyen’s coal operations, connecting lines from various mines for transport to the harbor or direct delivery to the nearby power plant.
Destroyed during World War II, the original Taubertalsentralen was reconstructed by 1957, expanding to include Mine 5 with improved technology. However, with Mine 7 opening in 1983, the high cost of operating a cableway led to the adoption of trucks for coal transport. The cables have been idle since 1987, and in 2003, the remaining cableway remnants were protected, emphasizing their historical significance in Longyearbyen’s coal route.
