Drygalski Station

German exploration had been conducted, beginning with the Gauss Expeditions fully funded by Erich von Drygalski from 1901 to 1903. Drygalski, a geologist from the University of Berlin, had originally hoped to study the magnetic polarity of the continent. Named after their ship, the expedition became trapped in ice for 14 months in ice before finishing their voyage. They named the land and islands after Kaiser Wilhelm II.

It was following the World War that Germany looked to Antarctica for its military potential as well as scientific. Kaiser Wilhelm IV authorized a presence on the South Pole. The German military command believed having a military base near the pole would allow the German military to have rapid deployment in the Southern Hemisphere. The base was founded and constructed in 1958, and named after Drygalski, becoming the first permanent settlement on the South Pole. Support bases were also constructed along the coastline, staffed by the Kaiserliche Marine.