▁and ▁try ▁to ▁return ▁by ▁s led ges ▁and ▁boats . ▁On ▁ 1 4 ▁August ▁ 1 8 7 4 ▁the ▁expedition ▁reached ▁the ▁open ▁sea ▁and ▁later ▁Nov aya ▁Z em ly a ▁where ▁they ▁were ▁res cu ed ▁by ▁a ▁Russian ▁fish ing ▁vessel . ▁On ▁ 3 ▁September ▁they ▁reached ▁ ▁V ard ø ▁in ▁Finn mark , ▁Northern ▁Norway . ▁ ▁The ▁expedition ▁returned ▁to ▁Austria ▁by ▁coast al ▁ste amer ▁from ▁V ard ø ▁and ▁by ▁train ▁from ▁Hamburg . ▁On ▁the ▁journey ▁they ▁were ▁met ▁by ▁crow ds ▁and ▁invited ▁to ▁d inners ▁hosted ▁by ▁local ▁dign itar ies ▁and ▁ge ographical ▁soci eties ▁in ▁Norway , ▁Sweden ▁and ▁Germany . ▁They ▁entered ▁Vienna ▁in ▁triumph , ▁wel com ed , ▁according ▁to ▁contemporary ▁newspaper ▁reports , ▁by ▁hundreds ▁of ▁thousands ▁of ▁people . ▁Further ▁festiv ities ▁followed ▁throughout ▁Aust ro - H ung ary ▁as ▁the ▁individual ▁expl or ers ▁returned ▁to ▁their ▁homes . ▁ ▁Sign ific ance ▁The ▁expedition ' s ▁discover ies ▁and ▁experiences ▁made ▁a ▁significant ▁contribution ▁to ▁polar ▁science , ▁especially ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁the ▁N ortheast ▁passage ▁by ▁Adolf ▁Erik ▁Nord ens ki öld . ▁They ▁also ▁gave ▁an ▁imp et us ▁to ▁International ▁Pol ar ▁Years , ▁meaning ▁a ▁shift ▁from ▁sports - like ▁races ▁of ▁single ▁exped itions ▁to ▁world wide ▁scientific ▁co operation ▁in ▁expl oring ▁the ▁polar ▁regions . ▁ ▁The ▁expedition ▁yield ed ▁various ▁results ▁in ▁the ▁fields ▁of ▁meteor ology , ▁astronom y