Peter Kuzmich Pakhtusov ( 1800 – 1835 ) was born in Kronstadt. He graduated the Navigation School land was a member of several scientist expedition under the command of the Admiral F. Litke. Main task of this expedition was a research the coast of northern seas.
In 1831 Pakhtusov headed the expedition to the Novaya Zemlya (the New Land) islands. Between 1832 and 1835 Peter Pakhtusov undertook two exploratory journeys to Novaya Zemlya. He wintered on the island on the two occasions and took detailed meteorological, hydrographic, astronomical observations.
Maps of the island and the coast of the Arctic Ocean were very accurate. Pakhtusov didn’t spare his strength in the hard conditions of the North and lost his health. From 17 members of his expedition 2 persons died. One of them was Peter Kuzmich Pakhtusov. The Pakhtusov grave is located in Arkhangelsk.
But his feat as a scientist and researcher was immortalized in 1886. Colleagues of Pakhtusov and expedition members had initiated the creation of this monument.
On three sides of the pedestal three words engraved - the motto of Peter Kuzmich Pakhtusov.
The labor («Труд»),
The commonweal («Польза»),
The courage («Отвага»).
The monument stands next to the building of the former School of Navigation (Italian palace), where Pakhtusov studied .