It is 68 meters long and 2,300 tons on stilts in the eternal ice of the Antarctic: The German Research Station Neumayer III. For more than a year she was the home of the surgeon Aurelia Hölzer. Together with eight women and men, she overwintered in 2022 on the Schelfeis south of the 70th latitude. She wrote a book about her experiences that gives insights into life and work in one of the most extreme places on earth.
Hölzer and their team, all experts in their field, become multitarians whose tasks go far beyond their areas. They are responsible for the operation of the station and carry out scientific studies. Nevertheless, there is time to discover the white world and its miracles. They observe whales, seals and penguins, experience natural spectacles such as the northern light or phenomena such as the whiteout. Always in the awareness that only a small error means danger to life. No ship, no plane can get it out in the winter time. They are on their own.
Hölzer’s book is a gripping mix of experience report, nature description and portraits of your colleagues. It conveys knowledge, explains the importance of Antarctic for the climate and expresses its astonishment and fascination with a liveliness that takes away. Pack the suitcase and go! If that were that simple. The great pictures in the band are a certain comfort. Constanze Matthes
Aurelia Hölzer
Polar shimmer
A world of ice and light – 54 weeks in the Antarctic
Malik, 320 pages, € 22, –
ISBN 978-3-89029-591-6