The name of Fridtjof Nansen was always famous and popular in Russia. When for example he was preparing his legendary polar expedition many world famous Arctic explorers showed an open skepticism towards his bold project. But the Government of Russian Empire has totally supported his plans and sent a strict official letter addressed to the Arkhangelsk Governor so he would provide all possible assistance during his travel along the Russian arctic borders.
Nansen exhibition in Arkhangelsk. Photo: Andrey Shalyov
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided Nansen with special recommendation letter ordering all local official persons to give him any kinds of support. The Russian Geographical Society sent him the whole set of maps of Russian Arctic territories and prepared detailed description of all settlements in the Russian northern coastal line. Prominent Russian Arctic explorer Eduard Toll made a huge job on Novosibirskie islands preparing three evacuation basements for Nansen’s expedition. After the Great October Revolution the name of Nansen got an additional glory due to his heroic humanitarian activity in the areas suffering from awful hunger. The Nobel Peace Prize deserved by Nansen due to his activity in Soviet Russia he partly spent for establishing of two modern agricultural stations in Russia and Ukraine. Even during the Cold War Fridtjof Nansen’s books and popular stories about Fram’s expedition were many times re-printed in the USSR and could be found on the bookshelves in almost every Soviet family. These were of course mostly “Indiana Jones’s style” stories but the fact is that the name of Nansen for generations is one of the most famous brands that link past, present and future of Norwegian-Russian relations in the Arctic.
The exhibition “Nansen’s Heritage” which was opened in Arkhangelsk on Monday brings the name of Nansen into a modern reality when Norway and Russia open a new stage of cooperation in the Arctic. The symbolic fact is that the exhibition has been set up by a number of national Norwegian institutions that nowadays keep the Nansen’s heritage and input Nansen’s ideas, spirit and philosophy in its current research activity in the Arctic. Among them the University in Oslo, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Fram Museum. The historic part of exhibition presents the legendary Nansen’s skis, his research instruments like bathometer and microscope, samples of Arctic water taken by him during the expedition books and many other historic relics.
Norwegian Consul General Øyvind Nordsletten (right) and Arkhangelsk Vice-Governor Roman Balashov opening the Nansen exhibition in Arkhangelsk.
Photo: Andrey Shalyov.
The Nansen’s life story and current research activities in the Arctic are reproduced at four tripods and interactive monitors. The exhibition is traveling around the Europe from the beginning of the year. The exhibition has already visited Oslo, Bergen, Berlin, St. Petersburg and Nuuk. Its next and final stop after Arkhangelsk is Tromsø in northern Norway.
The “Nansen’s Heritage” exhibition was opened by the Consul General of Norway in Murmansk Øyvind Nordsletten and by the Arkhangelsk Vice-Governor Roman Balashov.
The exhibition also was a reason of other arrangements during this week in Arkhangelsk. The delegation of Oslo university arrived to Arkhangelsk on Sunday and now is negotiating with the Northern Arctic Federal University (NARFU) about future joint research and educational activity. Three prominent researchers from Oslo are giving the lectures to Arkhangelsk students on the actual aspects of Arctic research. Yesterday the Norwegian guests took part in the opening of Nansen’s auditorium in one of the NARFU’s buildings. From now this auditorium which walls now are decorated by the pictures from Nansen’s life story will serve as a center for university cooperation in the Arctic.
On Tuesday, the universities of Oslo and Arkhangelsk are going to sign an agreement about joint activity in the future.
The name of Nansen will sound in Arkhangelsk during the whole month also in connection with other events. Next week the NARFU and the University of Tromsø will open a seminar for young researchers and a conference which also bear the name of Nansen together with the name of great Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. The story about the seminar and conference “Lomonosov-Nansen and Beyond” will be presented by BarentsObserver next week.
