Wilczek Island
Encyclopedia
Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land, or Francis Joseph's Land is an archipelago located in the far north of Russia. It is found in the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard, and is administered by Arkhangelsk Oblast. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Wilczek Island is a 10 km long island southwest of Salm Island
Salm Island
Salm Island is a roughly round-shaped island in Franz Josef Land, Russia.Salm Island is almost completely glaciarized except for a cape in its southern shore. Its maximum length is 17 km and its area is 344 km²...
, separated from the latter by a 3 km wide sound.
History
Wilczek Island was the first island of the Franz Josef Archipelago on which the Austro-Hungarian North Pole ExpeditionAustro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition was an expedition that ran from 1872–74 and discovered Franz-Josef Land. According to Julius von Payer, one of the leaders, the journey was to find the north-eastern passage. It actually explored the area northwest of Novaya Zemlya. According to the...
set foot on November 1 1873. A grave was dug ashore for Otto Krisch, a deceased member of the expedition and a cairn was erected with a message in a sealed container in it informing about the new discovery.
On August 5, 1991, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
ship Dagmar Aaen with the Arved Fuchs
Arved Fuchs
Arved Fuchs is a German explorer. On December 30, 1989, he and the famous mountain climber Reinhold Messner were the first to reach the South Pole without animal or motorised help, on skis and with wind-assistance...
expedition reached Wilczek Island. Fuchs dug up the Austro-Hungarian expedition bottle from among the stones in the cairn, but the writing inside could not be read. The document was brought to the office the Federal Criminal Police Office
Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)
The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany is a national investigative police agency in Germany and falls directly under the Federal Ministry of the Interior...
in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. There the writing was deciphered and it was confirmed that it was a note from Polar explorers Julius Payer and Karl Weyprecht
Karl Weyprecht
Karl Weyprecht, also spelt Carl Weyprecht, was an Austro-Hungarian explorer. He was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He is most famous as an Arctic explorer, and an advocate of international cooperation for scientific polar exploration...
. The document is now in the German Naval Museum
Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum
The Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum is a museum in Bremerhaven, Germany. It is part of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community. The main museum building was opened on 5 September 1975 by then-president Walter Scheel, though scientific work already had started in 1971...
in Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
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"Wilczek Island" should not be confused with much larger Wilczek Land
Wilczek Land
Wilczek Land , is a large-sized island located at . It is a part of Franz Josef Land, Russia.Wilczek Land is the second largest island of the Franz Josef Archipelago. It is almost completely glaciarized except for two narrow areas along its western shores. The highest point on the island is 606...
located in the same archipelago, but they are both named after Austro-Hungarian Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek
Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek
Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek was an Austro-Hungarian sponsor of Polar expeditions and artists....
.. Count Hans Wilczek was the most important sponsor of the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition was an expedition that ran from 1872–74 and discovered Franz-Josef Land. According to Julius von Payer, one of the leaders, the journey was to find the north-eastern passage. It actually explored the area northwest of Novaya Zemlya. According to the...
to Franz Josef Land.
Lamont Island
12 km south of Wilczek Island lies Lamont Island (остров Ламон) 79° 48' N; 58° 40' E. This is a small double island, only 1.3 km in length. Lamont Island is the southernmost island of the Franz Josef Archipelago. In some maps it appears as Lamon Island.This double islet was named after Scottish Arctic explorer Sir James Lamont
James Lamont
Sir James Lamont, 1st Baronet was a Scottish explorer, particularly known for his travels in the Arctic; he also travelled to Africa and the West Indies. He was a fellow of the Geological Society of London and the Royal Geographical Society...
.