1871 Petermann map of Svalbard and the Arctic Ocean

Originalkarte der I.
Deutschen Nordpolar-Expedition, 1868.
  1871 (dated)     20 x 14 in (50.8 x 35.56 cm)     1 : 5000000

source : Geographicus 

 

This is an 1871 Augustus Petermann map of Svalbard and the Arctic Ocean.
The map records the 1868 First German North Polar Expedition, which, to this day, maintains the records for the highest northern latitude reached by a sailing ship without auxiliary drive.

A Closer Look

Illustrating the 1868 First German North Polar Expedition, the map depicts the region from Svalbard south to the Shetland Islands and from Iceland and Greenland to Norway.
The expedition's track is highlighted using color to differentiate months.
The crew recorded water temperature readings every four hours, dated along the expedition's course.
Part of the September 1868 Swedish Expedition in the area is also traced.
Three views situated in the upper left depict one of the major hazards of polar exploration in the 19th century: sea ice.
Ships at that time were made of wood, and the expedition's leader, Carl Koldewey (1837 - 1908), had their vessel reinforced before setting out, likely with this scenario in mind.

The First German North Polar Expedition

The First German North Polar Expedition was an Arctic expedition led by Captain Carl Koldewey during the summer of 1868.
Inspired by the great German geographer Augustus Heinrich Petermann (1822 - 1878), the expedition left Bergen on May 24, 1868.
Given the primary objective of reaching Greenland's east coast, the ship and her crew reached sea ice on June 4 and were stuck by June 9.
They spent the next two weeks drifting with the current before they were able to break free of the ice and get underway again.
Once free, Koldewey continued with the expedition's secondary objective: reaching 'Gillis-Land' an island northeast of Svalbard, since it was apparent that reaching Greenland's east coast by sea was not possible.
The expedition proceeded along the sea ice to Svalbard but was stymied in its attempt to round south of the archipelago.
They reversed course on a second attempt to reach Greenland but were again unsuccessful.
Heading north one last time, the expedition tried to get past Svalbard to the north, and, in doing so, spent weeks exploring the Hinlopen Strait.
The Expedition also reached 81° 4' N on September 13, still a record for the highest northern latitude reached by a sailing ship without auxiliary drive.

The First German North Polar Expedition was not meant as a scientific expedition, simply an exploration.
Their orders were to achieve the greatest possible latitude and not to embark on a thorough investigation of the region or a thorough mapping of the coastlines.
Those activities would be undertaken by a subsequent expedition.
After returning to Bergen on September 30, Koldeway believed that the expedition was 'an unfortunate, completely unsuccessful one'.
However, the expedition achieved its goal of reaching an extremely high latitude, and the scientific data they recorded, which included extensive oceanographic, meteorological, and geomagnetic readings, proved invaluable.

Svalbard

Dutch explorer Willem Barentz (1557 - 1597) first discovered Svalbard in 1596, and the first recorded landing on the island happened in 1604.
During the early 17th century, whalers established the first settlements in the archipelago, and by the early 1630s, the heartiest would winter on the islands.
Russian hunters arrived in the late 17th century and set up relatively permanent settlements.
Nonetheless, by the 1860s, the islands were again largely uninhabited.
Svalbard became a destination for Arctic tourism in the 1890s.
Today, Svalbard's three principal industries are mining, tourism, and research.
It is also home to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.