Andréeneset

Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve – after Salomon August Andrée, 1854-97, a Swedish engineer and Arctic explorer.

Last update: 09. June 2024

Virgohamna, 11 July 1897: Everything is set for an expedition in the spirit of Jules Verne, equipped with high-technology and daring in the struggle against the extreme forces of nature. The moorings of the balloon “Örnen” (the Eagle) are cut and three men are sent to their deaths on a quest to reach the North Pole. Kvitøya, 5 October 1897: Salomon August Andrée, Nils Strindberg and Knut Frænkel reach Kvitøya and put up a camp after a strenuous journey when the balloon crash-landed in on the ice. Two weeks later they are dead. The summer of 1930: The crew from the catching vessel “Brattvåg” stumbles across the remains of Andrée’s expedition.