King Baudouin Base
Coordinates: 70 ° 25 ′ 33 ″ S , 24 ° 19 ′ 0 ″ E
The King Baudouin Base was a Belgian research station in Queen Maud Land in Antarctica . It was built in 1957 by a polar expedition led by Gaston de Gerlache on Lake Riiser Larsen . The reason for the expedition was the International Geophysical Year .
Scientific goals were the observation of the aurora borealis , the investigation of the ionosphere , the snow and the geomagnetism , as well as the exploration of the then still largely unknown hinterland.
The base was in operation until the beginning of 1961. From 1964 the New King Baudouin Base was built a few hundred meters away . It was in operation until 1967.