The Town Where It Is Illegal To Die
In Longyearbyen, Svalbard, it's illegal to die — bodies don't decompose and pregnant women are flown out.
Reviewed by the CurioVault curator · 8 October 2026 · Editorial standards
Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway has a law making it illegal to die. The permafrost is so cold that bodies don't decompose — corpses buried in 1918 still had live Spanish flu virus in 1998. So terminally ill are flown to mainland Norway. It's also illegal to have a cat (threat to birds) and you must carry a rifle outside town for polar bears. The cemetery stopped burying in 1950. It's a town where death is administratively banned.
Sources & Further Reading
Connected Curiosities
The Town Where Everyone Lives Underground
In Coober Pedy, Australia, it's so hot that 60% of the town lives in caves carved into the rock.
The Earl Who Was Buried Standing Up
"No man shall look down upon me" — so he was buried upright, above his rivals.
A Genius Astronomer with a Brass Nose, a Clairvoyant Dwarf, a Drunk Moose, No Telescope and a Weak Bladder!
A genius with a brass nose, an alcoholic moose, and a clairvoyant dwarf - and no telescope.
This curio is written in original words for CurioVault. Facts themselves are not copyrightable, but our wording is. If you reuse, please credit CurioVault.co.