In the 20th century, Soviet cryology not only systematically surveyed the cryosphere and established cryogenics but also significantly extended the cultural topos of the cold. The eternal ice was no longer just peripheral topography. The present article examines geological, biological, climatological, museological, and poetological approaches from the perspectives of cultural studies and the history of science. Specifically, the Siberian permafrost is viewed as a natural cryoarchive, as a scientific-societal transformation zone and as a climato-topographical matrix of the semiosphere.

The article is written in German.