[German]
NZZ Libro, Basel
2nd edition 2025, paperback
176 pages, 64 pictures
16 x 24 cm
ISBN 978-3-03980-038-4
CHF/EUR 38
1st edition 2019, hardcover
ISBN 978-3-03810-367-7
out of print
Auf Nordlandfahrt – 1896 von Hamburg nach Spitzbergen
In the summer of 1896, a small steamship set out from Hamburg towards what was then considered the edge of the known world: Spitsbergen. The forty-five gentlemen and seven ladies aboard were some of the world’s very first polar tourists. Among them was the young Swiss painter Hans Beat Wieland — an unlikely member of this distinguished company. He cared little for champagne, dress coats, or social rituals. What fascinated him instead was the landscape itself. As he hiked, painted, and kept notes, he discovered striking parallels between the Arctic and his Alpine homeland.
120 years later, historian Sandra Walser rediscovered Wieland’s diaries, sketches, and memorabilia. Her meticulously researched and richly illustrated book takes us along the legendary Hurtigruten route and onwards into the Arctic Ocean.
Auf Nordlandfahrt transports readers to a fascinating era when Arctic tourism was still young and wild, and blank spaces on the map gave rise to extraordinary tales.
Look inside the book!
Reviews
The book is meticulously researched and beautifully designed with many photos and illustrations. The author describes the voyage with eloquence and entertainment ... Two thumbs up!
Float
In her beautifully designed book, the author immerses the reader in the beginnings of polar tourism ... A delight to read!
Polarforschung
A fascinating book that brings an entire era back to life through the combination of text and images.
Urner Wochenblatt
The book sheds light on the beginnings of polar tourism and is a treasure chest for all fans of the Far North ... Walser's descriptions stimulate the imagination. They are so thrilling to read that you forget about space and time ... The numerous large-format reproductions of historical photos, with their touch of patina, are a feast for the eyes.
PolarNEWS
A fascinating journey for the imagination.
SRF 1
A book that not only describes the painter Hans Beat Wieland's expedition to Spitsbergen in a gripping and entertaining way, but also portrays the emerging tourism there in all its facets.
Basler Zeitung
"Auf Nordlandfahrt" belongs in every polar library! ... This magnificent book, wonderfully illustrated with historical photographs, takes us on an impressive journey of discovery from Hamburg along the Norwegian coast to Spitsbergen ... You can truly feel the author's enthusiasm in every line.
Poseidon Expeditions Magazine
A book that is refreshingly different from just about everything that has been written about journeys to the Arctic Ocean so far: "Auf Nordlandfahrt" is more than a literary travelogue. It is the meticulously researched and thrillingly told documentation of one of the first tourist cruises to the Far North ... The precise records of the protagonist are brought to life by the author in such a vivid manner that the adventures aboard the "Erling Jarl" become a travel experience in the minds of the readers.
Sonntagszeitung
A wonderful book of stories and history—a new must-read for travelers to Spitsbergen!
polar-schiffsreisen.de
