Wilczek Island, (Остров Вильчека; ''Ostrov Vil'cheka'') is located in the southeastern end of

Franz Josef Land , native_name = , image_name = Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg , image_caption = Map of Franz Josef Land , image_size = , map_image = Franz Josef Land location-en.svg , map_caption = Location of Franz Josef ...

Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast (russian: Арха́нгельская о́бласть, ''Arkhangelskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solo ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

History

Wilczek Island was the first island of the Franz Josef Archipelago on which the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ship ''Dagmar Aaen'' with the

Arved Fuchs Arved Fuchs (born 26 April 1953) is a German polar explorer and writer. Polar exploration On 30 December 1989, Fuchs and Reinhold Messner were the first to reach the South Pole with neither animal nor motorised help, using skis and a pa ...

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 in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

. There the writing was deciphered and it was confirmed that it was a note from Polar explorers

Julius Payer Julius Johannes Ludovicus Ritter von Payer (2 September 1841, – 29 August 1915), ennobled Ritter von Payer in 1876, was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army, mountaineer, arctic explorer, cartographer, painter, and professor at the There ...

and

Karl Weyprecht Karl Weyprecht, also spelt Carl Weyprecht, (8 September 1838 – 2 March 1881) was an Austro-Hungarian explorer. He was an officer ('' k.u.k. Linienschiffsleutnant'') in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He is most famous as an Arctic explorer, and ...

. The document is now in the German Naval Museum in

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

Geography

Wilczek Island is a long island southwest of Salm Island, separated from the latter by a wide sound. The island is mostly

unglacierized A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

, except for a small ice cap in the north and a smaller one in the south. "Wilczek Island" should not be confused with much larger Wilczek Land located in the same archipelago, but they are both named after

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...

Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek Count Johann (Hans) Nepomuk Wilczek (german: Hans Graf Wilczek; 7 December 1837 – 27 January 1922) was an Austrian arctic explorer and patron of the arts. He was the main sponsor of the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition in 1872–74. Li ...

. Count Hans Wilczek was the most important sponsor of the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition to Franz Josef Land.

Adjacent islands

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
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References

External links