A harsh land, an icy archipelago, where the northernmost point of Russia is located … An amazing area, unlike any other … Do you want to make an incredible journey that you can tell your friends about for a long time? Then head to Franz Josef Land. It will be a truly vibrant, unforgettable experience.
Unique mail
There is a unique post office here. This is the northernmost post office on the planet. True, it only works a few months a year. In the summer, you can still send a postcard to your friends from the Ice Archipelago. However, with the onset of autumn, this will already be problematic. By this time, there are severe frosts here.
It should also be added that in the summer, the post office is open only one day a week - on Wednesdays. Moreover, even on this day it is open for only one hour. At 10 am the post office starts its work, and an hour later its working day ends.
Icebreaker and helicopter
If you want to go to the archipelago, you can do it on an excursion icebreaker. And then you will need to transfer to a helicopter. It's a long way to go, but worth it. You will see what few have seen. The archipelago has many attractions. Here are just a few of them:
- walrus rookery;
- the conning tower of the 19th century;
- the hut where the Norwegian polar explorer lived;
- polar observatory.
Mysterious island
For obvious reasons, the territory of the archipelago is still poorly understood. She conceals many mysteries. One of them is an island with many round stones. Their shape is almost perfect. Where did these stone balls come from? Nobody knows the answer. It is only clear that this is not a creation of human hands, but a natural landmark.
Icy desert
There is not a single city on the archipelago. There is no permanent population here either. A few scientists, border guards and meteorologists live here only temporarily.
It has been established that in ancient times the territory was deserted. Archaeologists have not been able to find any traces of human presence in the archipelago.
No one knew about the existence of the archipelago until the end of the 19th century. The discovery of this land happened by accident. It was made by Austrian travelers. Because of the ice, they had to change their route, so they discovered an unfamiliar land.
The kingdom of cold
The air temperature here rarely rises above 0 ° C. This usually occurs in July. But even then the column of mercury only slightly rises above the zero mark. And for almost a third of the year there is a polar night here.
True, the polar day is quite long here. Its duration is 140 days.
Colorful summer
Who would have guessed that summer in such a harsh climate is bright and festive! But it really is. In July, the archipelago is covered with mosses of different colors. But walking on this magnificent carpet is not easy. The fact is that water accumulates under its surface.
Moreover, these regions are famous for their gigantic bird colonies. A huge number of birds nest here on the rocks.
Rusty barrels
In today's world, plagued by an abundance of landfills, even the northern archipelago is no exception. There are a huge number of empty iron barrels here. Once, they were used to store fuels and lubricants. Today, almost all of these barrels are covered in rust.
If you want to see something completely different from the world you are used to, visit Franz Josef Land. It's almost like visiting another planet. You will have enough vivid impressions for many years!
