Unveiled South Pole monument

King Harald also laid the cornerstone for the new building that will house the polar vessel Gjøa, and officially opened the South Pole exhibition, which will be on display at the Fram Museum through the end of 2011. The exhibition is a collaboration with the Scott Polar Research Institute and will be shown in the UK as well. Initially focusing on the Norwegian expedition, the exhibition will be expanded to include important objects from the UK expedition.

The grandchildren of Amundsen’s two brothers and descendants of the UK polar explorer Captain Robert F. Scott were present at the opening.

Cast in bronze

Roald Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen, Oscar Wisting, Olav Bjaaland and Sverre Hassel were the first people to ever reach the South Pole. After a 57-day journey on skis, the polar explorers arrived at the South Pole point, one month before the rival UK expedition led by Captain Scott. Tragically, Captain Scott and his men perished on their return from the Pole.

The monument immortalising the five Norwegian explorers is the work of sculptor Håkon Fagerås. Cast in bronze and nearly two metres high, the men stand on slabs of granite. The figures are based on photographs taken during the expedition, and are roughly hewn to reflect the extremely harsh conditions that the men had braved. The monument captures the solemn moment when Amundsen and his crew stood, hats in hand, facing their tent and the flag they planted at the South Pole point.

The unveiling ceremony featured a performance by trumpet player Nils Petter Molvær.

National celebration in Tromsø

In parallel to the events on the Bygdøy peninsula, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon is in Tromsø, where the centennial anniversary is being celebrated with exhibitions, a polar parade and theatre performances. Contact will also be made with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg who will be standing at the South Pole point and with the Norwegian Polar Institute’s South Pole Centenary Expedition, which has followed in Amundsen’s ski tracks towards the Pole.

More information about the centennial festivities in Tromsø will be published later this evening.