In 1974 the Norwegian government passed a Royal Decree entitled ‘Kongelig Resolusjon om forskrifter om fredning m.v. av kulturminner pa Svalbard og Jan Mayen’ (Royal Resolution on regulations concerning the protection of cultural monuments on Svalbard and Jan Mayen). Since the appointment of a government inspector in 1976 a systematic survey of the permanent cultural monuments on Svalbard has been carried out. The results have so far confirmed the previously held impression that Svalbard is indeed very rich in cultural monuments left by man's exploits in previous centuries. This article is concerned with some of the typical monuments up to the turn of the 20th century. In addition the regulations for the protection of cultural monuments passed in 1974 are discussed.