the station was erected in july 1957 by the polish academy of sciences expedition within the framework of the international geophysical year. the expedition was led by stanislaw siedlecki, geologist, explorer and climber, a veteran of polish arctic expeditions in the 1930s (including the first traverse of west spitsbergen island). a reconnaissance group searching the area for the future station site had been working in hornsund in the previous summer, and selected the flat marine terrace in isbjørnhamna. the research station was constructed during three summer months in 1957.