Oldest Building on Franz Josef Land Archipelago Undergoing Conservation

ARKHANGELSK, July 10. /TASS/. Experts of the Russian Arctic National Park assessed conditions of the oldest building on the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the so-called "Eira Lodge" on the Bell Island, TASS reported from aboard the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel of the Arctic Floating University expedition. Though the mission ashore was not long due to the weather, the expedition participants did manage to strengthen the building.

"The house is currently being conserved. Key aspects: we are currently strengthening the structure so that the walls do not collapse under a layer of snow. We have been installing special tripwires that tighten the structure. We had various fasteners on us to do this work. Plus, we have brought several plywood sheets. That's because bears are demonstrating interest in these buildings. Last year, a bear broke through one of the walls. We've fixed it up with the materials we had. Now we have made a temporary "patch" there, we have secured it well," said Ilya Timin, the Russian Arctic National Park's state environmental protection inspector.

The Eira Lodge, built in 1881, is the oldest surviving building on the Franz Josef Land Archipelago and in the entire island high-latitude Arctic. It was built by the expedition of the British yachtsman and explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith as a base for the expedition. The polar explorers planned to spend the winter there. But a few days after its construction was over, the ice crushed the expedition's schooner named Eira at Cape Flora of the Northbrook Island. People were not injured, though they did not make it to the Bell Island. They wintered in a hut made of the ship remains, and in 1882 they sailed to Novaya Zemlya by boats.

The Eira Lodge is different from all other buildings on the archipelago. It is an example of Scandinavian wooden architecture of the second half of the 19th century. A few years ago, specialists said the Eira Lodge's condition was pre-emergency. The house keeps a true chronicle of Franz Josef Land. The builders, led by Leigh Smith, left their signatures on the walls, and further on, members of almost all expeditions to the archipelago used to leave autographs on the walls. The house's boards keep signatures of Frederick Jackson, Anthony Fiala, as well as of Russian and Soviet Arctic explorers.

"The Russian Arctic National Park has a special department for preservation of historical and cultural heritage, and there is a project plan for this building's restoration," the inspector said. "We have plans to decipher all the autographs. This is important because this location may be part of tourist routes in the Arctic."

Interrupted mission ashore

The expedition had to interrupt the mission on the Bell Island due to the sea waves. Experts managed just to take a few biological samples on the island. The expedition's leaders decided to leave the island and sail to the oceanology section from the Northbrook Island to Russian Harbor Bay on Novaya Zemlya.

"Over the next two days, we plan to work at the stations in this section. We plan to have 14 stations there. The research will be carried out by hydro-chemists and hydro-physicists, and soil samples will be collected for several scientific groups," the expedition's leader Alexander Saburov said.

About the expedition

The 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University scientific and educational expedition runs from July 1 to July 22, 2026 on board the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel. The expedition organizers are: the Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and the Northern Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Sevhydromet). The project's official sponsors and partners are: the Russian Federation's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Geographical Society, general sponsor - VTB, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Floating University Coordination Center based at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).

About the Russian Arctic National Park

The Russian Arctic National Park is Russia’s northernmost and biggest nature reserve, which unites the Franz Josef Land Archipelago and the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago.