Jørgen Brønlund facts for kids
Jørgen Brønlund (born December 14, 1877 – died November 1907) was a brave explorer from Greenland. He was also a teacher and a catechist, which means he taught about religion. Jørgen took part in two important Danish trips to Greenland in the early 1900s.
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Early Life and Education
Jørgen Brønlund was born in Ilulissat, Greenland, on December 14, 1877. He was an Inuit, just like his father, who was a hunter. When he was a child, he was friends with Knud Rasmussen, who also became a famous explorer.
Jørgen studied to become a teacher. He finished his studies in 1901 at Nuuk College. After that, he worked as a catechist near the Nuup Kangerlua area. This job involved teaching and helping people in the community.
Adventures and Expeditions
Jørgen Brønlund loved exploring. He joined the 1902-1903 Danish Literary Greenland Expedition. On this trip, he worked with his friend Knud Rasmussen, Harald Moltke, and Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen.
After this expedition, Jørgen traveled to Denmark. There, he learned drawing from an artist named Kristian Zahrtmann. He also taught at a big folk high school in Askov.
In 1906, Jørgen joined another big trip called the Danish Expedition to Northeast Greenland. This expedition was led by Mylius-Erichsen. Jørgen was very important because he could speak different languages. He also helped by driving the dog sleds. He kept a special diary to write down everything that happened on their journey.
A Heroic Journey and Sad End
The expedition faced many challenges. In November 1907, Jørgen Brønlund was traveling back from Independence Fjord. He was trying to reach their main camp. Sadly, he died from hunger and the extreme cold.
His body was found on March 13, 1908, near a supply spot in Lambert Land. With him was his diary. This diary told the sad story of what happened to Mylius-Erichsen and the mapmaker, Niels Peter Høeg Hagen. They both died before Jørgen.
Jørgen was buried where he was found. This place is now known as Brønlunds Grave. His last diary entry showed his bravery and the tough conditions they faced:
I perished in 77° N lat., under the hardships of the return journey over the inland ice in November. I reached this place under a waning moon, and cannot go on, because of my frozen feet and the darkness. The bodies of the others are in the middle of the fjord. Hagen died on November 15, Mylius-Erichsen some ten days later.
Legacy and Remembrance
Jørgen Brønlund's 172-page diary is kept safe at the Royal Danish Library. It is a very important historical record. A memorial stone in Copenhagen's harbor has the last words from his diary.
A place in Peary Land is named after him, called Jørgen Brønlund Fjord. In 1977, Greenland made a special postal stamp to celebrate 100 years since his birth. There is also a medallion created by sculptor Eugene L. Daub to honor him.
