Close Relations on the Cold Coasts

Two parallel exhibitions devoted to the common Norwegian-Russian glorious history of northern seafaring and Arctic expeditions were opened yesterday. One of them started in the Norwegian city Tromso and another in the old Pomor town Onega.

This was not occasionally that this relatively small town on the coast of the White Sea has been chosen as a venue for this exhibition. Its long history goes back to the 12th century when it was first mentioned in the written documents of Novgorod Principality. It is known as one of the main centers of famous Pomor trade that by the end of 19th century made Onega the second largest settlement in Arkhangelsk region. Nevertheless the first acquaintances of Onega citizens with Norwegians were not lucky. As it follows from the old chronicles Onega was totally ruined by Norwegian invaders in 1419. But in the course of subsequent several centuries the Pomors from the White Sea were carrying out intensive trade with Norwegian fishing towns and villages and the historic memory about this time is still alive among their descendants. Here in Onega people learned to build the sea vessels able to go in the Arctic sea for a long distances and local merchants, fishermen and sea hunters traveled to Novaya Zemlya and Spitsbergen. People in Onega say that an oval form of the bottom of these vessels was later used in the legendary Nansen’s “Fram”.

Sometimes the human history presents fantastic surprises. When Roald Amundsen recruited his team for the expedition in Antarctic the only foreigner aboard “Fram” was Alexander Kuchin, a native of Onega town. Alexander Kuchin was from the family of prosperous merchant who had successful business with counter partners in Northern Norway. Kuchin got his education in Arkhangelsk Nautical School and continued to study in Tromso and Oslo. Due to his participation in Amundsen’s expedition Kuchin became the first Russian who disembarked on the Antarctic mainland. In 1912 Alexander Kuchin became a captain in the Russian Arctic expedition headed by Vladimir Rusanov and tragically died somewhere in the area of Taimyr Peninsula.

The names of Kuchin and his friend Helmar Hanssen, also a participant of Amundsen’s team became symbol uniting Russian and Norwegian researchers and museums. Three years ago on the conference devoted to Kuchin in Onega the representatives of the coastal museums initiated a project which got the name “Cold Coasts – Close Relations (CCCR)”. The project included arrangement of the exhibitions that would show the history of Russian and Norwegian relations in the Northern seas and closeness of values and traditions of the people living on the coasts of White and Barents seas. At its early stage the project got a financial support from the Norwegian Barents Secretariat.

The exhibitions made by the Arkhangelsk local lore museum and the University museum in Tromso are divided into four parts presenting information about ten Arctic expeditions, history of Pomor trade, traditions and businesses of people living in the North, common challenges facing Norway and Russia in the Arctic. The informative posters are added by a number of multimedia productions, photo and film presentations. The exhibition is going to stay in Onega till summer and then to be reopened in Arkhangelsk.