Once again the Bulgarian Antarctic expedition set off to the Ice Continent. On December 1^st, after a long and dangerous journey due to the ice, the first group of Bulgarian scientists arrived to the St. Kliment Ohridski base on the Livingston Island. “Their main task is to prepare the base, as it had been closed till now for the winter and we can expect anything,” says Chair of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, who will go there on December 13 with the second part of the group. The scientists are to face numerous challenges this year as well – they have to build a garage for the Manitou high mobility vehicle that arrived last year. The roofs of all the premises will be provided with solar panels, thus cutting to the minimum the usage of diesel.

The Bulgarian expedition also has to complete a joint project with Mongolia – the placing of a monument of the Cyrillic Alphabet on the Antarctic. Ampoules with Bulgarian earth have been built in it, and the images of the inventors of the Slavonic literacy St. St. Cyril and Methodius will be engraved on the monument. Prof. Pimpirev gives us more details:

“The parts of the monument have already been traveling onboard a Spanish ship and we expect them to be delivered on Livingston mid-February. The building work should be very precise and with minimum impact on the environment. The facility will be attached to the rock with three bolts only and on a spot with no vegetation, lichens or moss. It won’t be easy as any building activity on Antarctica should meet strict environmental requirements.”

The Bulgarian researchers keep their devotion to the Antarctic cause even when they have left the Ice Continent. Some 15 books have been published so far with research and impressions of Bulgarian polar scientists. Even after the first expedition in 1993 Prof. Hristo Pimpirev and Associate Prof. Borislav Kamenov issued A Touch of Antarctica. They were the first Bulgarian geologists to study the icy desert. Australian resident Izabela Shopova wrote her To the South of Sanity book after a month spent with the base. The opening night of the Terra Australis Incognita almanac took place in early November, compiled by Gergana Lapteva and consulted by Prof. Hristo Pimpirev and Dr. Lyubomir Ivanov. Most of the so far known geographic maps of the Antarctic Continent since ancient times have been gathered inside, tracing their development through time.

Another book of Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, named Antarctica – The Cold South was presented on December 4^th at the aula of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Here is more from the author:

“This is a luxurious bilingual edition in Bulgarian and English, devoted to 25 years of Bulgarian presence on the Ice Continent. The best photos of our polar photographers are gathered inside. There is description of the flora and fauna, the Antarctic nature. A review of all the previous expeditions has been made, so it is the latest book on Antarctica which will give a chance to the reader to realize Bulgaria’s achievements on the Ice Continent in the course of 25 years.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev