The epic antarctic adventure of 1897
Picture this: it’s the end of the 19th century, you’re a sailor and you’re part of Adrien de Gerlache’s international crew, about to set off on an expedition to Antarctica, which in 1897 is still very much terra incognita.
For some, this thought experiment tickles the senses. The expeditious maritime lover knows to find their way to the exhibition ‘Naar Antarctica’ at the MAS in Antwerp. It details de Gerlache’s bone-chilling expedition with a crew of some 20 people to a land that nobody knew anything about.
How did they survive? Who came after them? What’s happening in Antarctica these days? The exhibition answers these burning questions through the crew’s journals, photographs and authentic parts of the Belgica – the ship they undertook this expedition on – as it existed in 1897. For more information, check out MAS’s website.
Be honest, did you know that the Gerlache Strait was discovered on this very expedition? It’s also known as the Belgica Strait for obvious reasons.
May Belgium continue to have the wind in its sails!