Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) was an exceptional European figure. As a scientist, adventurer and polar explorer he made a name for himself early on. In the final decade of his life, Nansen worked for the League of Nations and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922. He was a central figure of tackling the European refugee crisis after the decline of the multi-ethnic Ottoman, Romanov, Habsburg and Hohenzollern empires. The lecture sheds light on Nansen merits during the interwar period and its impact on the history of humanitarianism.