2 Euros Discovery of Antarctica

Estonia commemorates the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, a feat with direct Baltic connections: Fabian von Bellingshausen, who commanded the 1819–1821 Russian Imperial expedition credited with the first confirmed sighting of the continent, was born in Ösel — present-day Saaremaa, Estonia. The expedition departed Kronstadt in July 1819 with two sloops, Vostok and Mirny, and reached the Antarctic ice shelf in January 1820 within days of British and American rival sightings, triggering a priority dispute that remains unresolved among historians.