The Norwegian town of Longyearbyen has banned death since 1950 because bodies don't decompose in the permafrost. If you're terminally ill, you must leave town or face legal consequences for violating the anti-death ordinance.
The ban exists because Longyearbyen's cemetery stopped accepting new burials when scientists discovered that bodies buried in the 1910s were perfectly preserved by the Arctic permafrost.Corpses from over 100 years ago look like they died yesterday, creating health and psychological concerns for residents.
The permanently frozen ground prevents normal decomposition, meaning every dead body becomes a permanent, perfectly preserved monument to mortality.The cemetery looks like a macabre museum where century-old corpses are visible through the thin soil layer.
If residents become seriously ill, they're required to travel to mainland Norway for medical care and must remain there if their condition is terminal. Pregnant women must also leave town before giving birth because the hospital isn't equipped for complications, and if something goes wrong, they can't bury anyone locally.
The death ban is strictly enforced:funeral homes are prohibited from operating in Longyearbyen, and transporting dead bodies through town is illegal except for immediate removal to the mainland. Even pets that die must be cremated or shipped away.
Longyearbyen is the only place on Earth where dying is a crime —making it literally the safest place to live, legally speaking.
