On February 22, 1968, the year-round Soviet Polar Station Bellingshausen began operating in West Antarctica, 58 years since then!
King George Island, part of the South Shetland Islands group, one of the most picturesque regions of Antarctica, was chosen for the construction of the station. The Station’s employees still carry out geographical, geological and biological studies of the Ice Continent. However, in the past, the number of winterers exceeded the current number of employees: 8 year-round personnel and 5 seasonal specialists.
The first wooden houses built here were designed for 20 people. And already in the 70s, wooden houses were replaced with more reliable aluminum buildings. During the same period, a powerful radio center appeared at the station, which served not only scientists, but also the fishing fleet in the southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
By the end of the 80s, the station already employed 28 year-round personnel. In the summer, 25 more scientists joined them. But in the 90s, funding was reduced, and the Bellingshausen Station (WAP RUS-Ø1) operated in the format of a seasonal field station.
It was only in 1997 that the Government again allocated funding for the implementation of the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE). Thanks to this, Russia has maintained its geopolitical presence in Antarctica, and its scientific human resources have been saved.
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At the same time, the geographical location and climatic conditions of the Station allow scientists to carry out a number of unique scientific research. For example, during the wintering period, observations on meteorology, atmospheric physics, coastal hydrology, biology, ecology are carried out there, as well as satellite images are being received to analyze the development of drifting ice in Antarctica.
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In January 2020, a monument to Thaddeus Bellingshausen was unveiled on the shores of King George Island at the Russian Station, to whom it is named
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In the mid 1990s, Patriarch Alexius II of Moscow gave his blessing for this audacious project. The church was constructed in Russia and transported by a supply ship to its present location. One or two monks from Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, considered the most important Russian monastery as it is the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church, volunteer to man the church year-round.
While most of the buildings on this continent are built to hug the ground to reduce their exposure to the polar wind, this church proudly stands 15 meters tall. It is a wooden structure constructed from Siberian pine and carved in the traditional Russian style by master carpenters of Altay.
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February 15, 2004:
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The Holy Trinity Church at the Russian Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica was consecrated.
Located on a rocky hill near the Bellingshausen Station, making it the southernmost Eastern Orthodox church in the world. The 15-meter-tall Holy Trinity Church, constructed from Siberian pine and cedar to withstand extreme polar conditions, was built to serve the Russian Orthodox community and to honor the Russian polar explorers.