The Russian Embassy in Thailand, with the support of the Russian Geographical Society, opened an exhibition of photographs and archival materials dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev in the Bangkok Art and Culture Center.
In July 1819, two Russian military sloops, “Vostok” and “Mirny”, set off from Kronstadt on the First Antarctic Expedition. The mission was to prove or disprove the existence of Antarctica. Thaddeus Bellingshausen led the expedition, he was also the captain of the "Vostok". "Mirny" was commanded by Mikhail Lazarev. On January 27th, 1820, according to the new style dates, the ships crossed the Antarctic Circle, and the next day Bellingshausen wrote in his diary: "Continuing to the south; at noon at latitude 69 ° 21'28", longitude 2 ° 14'50 ", we met ice which looked to us, through the falling snow, like white clouds. " From the Lazarev`s sloop, the view was seen more clearly: "We met old ice of extraordinary height ... it stretched as far as vision could reach." These lines of captains became the first description of Antarctica.
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Russian Ambassador to Thailand, Yevgeny Tomikhin, made a welcoming speech in which he mentioned that, on behalf of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, this year has been declared the Year of Antarctica in Russia. The ambassador also noted the dedication of Russian sailors-researchers who discovered the sixth, coldest continent of the Earth; their contribution to world culture and science; and gave a brief assessment of the current state of the international cooperation in the Antarctic.
The event was attended by representatives of the public, business community, and the diplomatic corps. On the first day, the exhibition was visited by more than a thousand local residents.
The exhibition runs until March 1st, 2020.