Congratulations On The Polar Explorer's Day

Северный полюс. Фото: Анатолий Жданов.
Северный полюс. Фото: Анатолий Жданов.

Dear colleagues and friends!

Russia celebrates the Polar Explorer's Day on May 21. This is a professional holiday for thousands of people whose fate is connected with the Arctic and Antarctic.

It is necessary to have a great courage in order to choose a path full of difficulties and dangers, cold and harsh weather. Despite the fact that technical means are constantly being improved, the North and South Poles would remain as unattainable for us, as they were a hundred years ago, without these smart, risky and brave people. Polar explorers are the last romantics of our time, who believe that there is a place for deeds and unexpected discoveries in everyday life.

vladimir_melnik_zemlya_franca-iosifa_502778.jpg

Земля Франца-Иосифа. Фото: Владимир Мельников
Земля Франца-Иосифа. Фото: Владимир Мельников

The date of the holiday was not chosen by chance: the first in the world drifting polar station, the North Pole - 1, began its work on this day in 1937. Four legendary polar explorers - Ivan Papanin, Pyotr Shirshov, Yevgeny Fedorov and Ernst Krenkel - spent 274 days on the expedition. Ice floe with researchers passed more than 2000 km from the pole to the coast of Greenland. Polar explorers studied meteorological conditions, sea currents and ice in the very center of the Arctic. The North Pole - 1 fulfilled an important task almost immediately after the beginning of the drift - it provided unprecedented trans-Arctic flights of Valery Chkalov and Mikhail Gromov from the USSR to North America with meteorological data.

Polar explorers can be called not only specialists who have spent many years in the difficult climatic conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic (among them are participants of scientific expeditions, winter workers of polar stations, military personnel), but also all residents of the Far North regions.

The Russian Geographical Society congratulates all those who live and work in the severe conditions of the polar regions. Thank you for your great work!

Polar Explorer's Day is one of the new holiday dates in the calendar of Russia. The initiative to establish the Day of Polar Explorers was made by the First Vice-President of the Russian Geographical Society, Honorary Polar Explorer of Russia Arthur Chilingarov in December 2012. The decree on the establishment of the holiday was signed by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The holiday is celebrated on May 21, annually, since 2013.