Between exploration and tourism

Carl Irminger’s Iceland travel diary 1826

Bibliographic Data

ID9220830
AuthorsEric L Jensen (0000-0003-2462-1162, Malmö University, corresponding author), Ole Lisberg Jensen
Year2021
Volume57
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolar Record (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-2474 • E-ISSN: 1475-3057
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0032247420000467
OpenAlexW3118310761
LanguageEN
References cited12

In the spring of 1826, the young Danish naval officer Carl Irminger and two of his friends sailed with a cargo ship from Copenhagen to Iceland to stay there during the summer. This article is based on Irminger’s unpublished travel diary. Irminger and his friends blended in with the local elite, which provided them with equipment and contacts to travel. Their journeys out from Reykjavik were adventurous and depended on local guides and the hospitality of residents along the way. The tales of hardships during the travels, combined with contacts established during the trip, became important credentials in Irminger’s future career. He was hired as an adjutant to the Danish prince, and the narrative of his summer in Iceland ignited a royal expedition there in 1834, of which Irminger was to be the trip leader. Irminger’s diary reflects a broader shift from Enlightenment exploration reporting into Romantic travel writing, with more emotional and aesthetic emphasis. His journey was a forerunner of the nature tourism that eventually was to sprout in Iceland

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Danish · Elite · Hospitality · Literature · Officer · Political science · Romance · Tourism · Cruise Tourism Development and Management · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Geology · History · Law · Oceanography · Philosophy · Travel Writing and Literature

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