EXPEDITIONS TOWARDS THE EXTREMES OF THE WORLD
"NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC" PHOTO EXHIBITION

Witches' Tower; Słupsk, 8, Francesco Nullo Alley
opening: July 1st, 2010; 5:00 p.m.

Baltic Art Gallery; Ustka, 1a, General Zaruski Street
opening: July 1st, 2010; 6:00 p.m.

The exhibition in both places will be open till 29.08.2010

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 img_1537
img_1538 img_1539 img_1540 img_1541 img_1542 img_1544 img_1545 img_1546 img_1547
img_1548 img_1549 img_1550 img_1551 img_1553 img_1555 img_1556 img_1557 img_1558
img_1559 img_1560 img_1562 img_1564 img_1565 img_1566 img_1568 img_1569 img_1570
img_1571 img_1572 img_1574 img_1576 img_1577 img_1581 img_1582

The exhibition shows fascinating photographs presenting the achievements of the most famous expeditions organised by the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY since its founding in 1888 up to now. These photos prove that none of great discoveries would be possible without enormous human determination and will of getting to know the world. Many of those expeditions had been of pioneering character. Their participants had been the first men exploring the farthest corners of our globe, conquering the poles, ascending the highest peaks or reaching the deepest depths, investigating tropical rain forests vibrant with wild life and the most severe deserts, unravelling the mysteries of ancient civilisations, old tombs closed for ages, and the shipwrecks on the oceans' bottom. They had been undertaking expeditions towards the extremes of the world, and their discoveries had often been of groundbreaking character for the development of many branches of science.

The exhibition presents risky expeditions and surprising discoveries including the finding of the most famous shipwreck of the world, "Titanic", by an outstanding oceanographer Robert Ballard in 1985, and the discovering of the lost Incas' town Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham in 1911. It presents the silhouettes of intrepid travellers and research workers, including Jacques Cousteau, the pioneer researcher of sea depths, and Robert Peary, the first man to reach the North Pole.

Many photographs show the achievements of Polish discoverers. Deserving special attention are the photographs that document the course of the expedition organised in 2004 by the National Geographic Polska to the shipwreck of the battleship "Steuben". During the last days of the World War Two a hardly known tragedy took place in that spot, in which 4,5 thousand people died.

More than a hundred years ago large areas of our globe, the miracles of the geological past, numerous species of animals and plants, and the achievements of ancient civilisations had been simply waiting to be discovered. From the beginning of its existence, the National Geographic Society has accomplished the mission of popularising the geographical knowledge, supporting financially over 7500 expeditions and research projects. Today, even though it seems that the Earth hides not many mysteries, and when detailed maps of even the most inaccessible places are conceived with satellite imaging, the prevailing part of our planet, especially that hidden under the surface of the oceans, is still unknown and waiting for the next generations of adventurers.

The photographs presented at the exhibition come from the albums published by the National Geographic also in Poland: National Geographic Great Expeditions, Mysteries of the Underwater World and People on National Geographic Camera. The exhibition is complemented with photographs taken by collaborators of the Polish edition of the National Geographic Magazine and published in its pages.