Alexander Sibiryakov

Alexander Mikhaylovich Sibiryakov ( _ru. Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Сибиряко́в) (born in Irkutsk on October 8 (September 26) 1849– died in 1893) was a Russian gold mine owner and explorer of Siberia.

He graduated from a polytechnic school in Zurich, Switzerland. Later in life, he financed the polar expeditions of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld and A.V.Grigoriev. He also sponsored the publication of works on Siberia's history. In 1880, he made an attempt to enter the Yenisei estuary through the Kara Sea on a schooner. In 1884, Sibiryakov reached the Pechora estuary on the "Nordenskiöld" steamer and proceeded up the river. He then crossed the Urals using reindeers and reached Tobolsk by the Tobol River. Sibiryakov contributed significantly to Siberia's economic development.

Sibiryakow Island, an island in the Kara Sea, at the mouth of the Yenisey estuary, and a Russian icebreaker are named after him.

References

*Yurii Semenov. "Siberia: Its Conquest and Development." (Translated from the German by J.R. Foster). Helicon Press, Baltimore, 1963.

ee also

* Sibiryakow Island
* Otto Schmidt
* Captain Vladimir Voronin