Abstract
This chapter describes czech arctic expeditions and researches from the 17th century to present day. Missionaries were followed by scientists and famouse polar conquerors, who worked in extreme conditions and often put their lives on the line.
The expedition of Julius von Payer led to the exploration of Franz Josef Land (1873). Anthropologist Aleš Hrdlička went on a scientific expedition to Alaska and Aleutian Islands.
Physicist and radiologist F. Běhounek survived the crash of an airship Italia and then published his scientific findings.
Scientists from Czech universities, Academy of Sciences, Krkonoše National Park and private companies have been working in last decades on projects tied with geologic, biologic or etnographic research of the arctic region.