#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. On Wednesday, September 4, the Taimyr Museum of Local History will host a ceremonial opening of a cairned point, monument to the Russian polar explorer, the leader of the Great Northern Expedition’s Lena-Yenisey detachment Hariton Laptev. The event will be held as part of the grant project Roads of the First: Taimyr, supported by the Nornickel company.
“Until today, there was no such memorial place in Dudinka that would be dedicated to Hariton Laptev, though he was a leader of the Great Northern Expedition’s detachment who first discovered and mapped Taimyr. We wanted to correct this historical injustice”, said Maria Rudakova, deputy director for Cultural and Educational Activities of the Taimyr Museum of Local History.
According to her, the monument was erected in the form of a cairn (a structure made of stones) for a reason. Previously, seafarers left such monuments, because stones are not affected by wind or animals, and the structure can survive for a long time, in addition, travelers often left notes for their followers among the stones.
The initiative won the Nornickel’s charity program World of New Opportunities’ social projects competition. As part of the grant project, a history club for Dudinka schoolchildren was also created.
“The cairned point was erected by the efforts of the museum staff”, added Maria Rudakova. “However, our young history lovers also contributed to making the memorial site cozy and beautiful: they planted tree seedlings on the territory”.
Follow us on Telegram, VKontakte.
Text: Maria Ivanova, Photo: Denis Kozhevnikov
