"The Arctic. Franz Josef Land" in Vienna

Details

Last Updated on Monday, 10 December 2018 17:10

The Arctic. Franz Josef Land
The exhibition in Vienna, Austria
December 5, 2018 – January 18, 2019

On Christmas Eve, the Museum of the World Ocean makes a gift to the citizens of Vienna: on December 5, the exhibition The Arctic. Franz Josef Land is opening at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Vienna, Austria.

The cultural and natural heritage of the Arctic is so exceptional that “…goes beyond national borders and it is valuable to the present and future generations of humankind”.* This unique land on the planet is severe, enigmatic and amazingly beautiful. The exhibition created by the museum is devoted to the Arctic exploration and, in particular, to one of the very north Russia’s territories – Franz Josef Land. Such a topic has been chosen for a reason: it was the Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition on the ship Tegetthoff commanded by Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht that discovered the archipelago in 1873 which was named after Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I.

In the 19 th – early 20 th century, over 150 search and commercial expeditions visited this land, including Dutch, Scotch, English, Norwegian, American, Italian, German and Russian participants. At present, Franz Josef Land and its adjacent waters belong to Russia and form a part of The Russian Arctic National Park.

The Arctic is one of the last corners on Earth where pristine nature with the richest biodiversity is still present. Visitors of the RCSC can learn more about the history of discovery and exploration of the wonderful archipelago and the expeditions as well as enjoy watching incredibly beautiful and breathtaking Franz Josef Land views. The exhibition features the photographs made by polar researcher Maria Gavrilo, participant of the Arctic expeditions and employee of the Timiryazev State Museum of Biology Michael Ivanov and helicopter squadron commander Sergey Kiryushkin in 2005-2012.