Emil Holub
From Freepedia
Emil Holub (October 7 1847 - February 21 1902) was a Czech doctor, traveller in Africa and writer.
He was born in Holice in eastern Bohemia and in 1872 obtained a degree as a doctor of medicine at Prague University.
Four months after his graduation ceremony he set out on his first journey to Cape Town and at first practised medicine in Kimberley diamond mines. After eight months, Holub set out in a convoy of local hunters on a two month long experimental expedition, a.k.a. a "scientific safari". He collected and assembled natural history collections and sent them to Prague.
In 1873 Holub set out on his second scientific safari and he devoted attention to the collection of ethnographic material. He opened his third expedition in 1875. The destination of this expedition was the Zambezi river and Victoria Falls.
In 1883 Holub, his wife and six guides set out to second journey to Africa. His target was nothing smaller than go through Africa from Cape Town to the north, to Egypt - what nobody achieved by then. The expedition was troubled by illnesses and aggressive tribesmen and was forced to return back in 1886.
Holub felt satisfaction in two great shows at home - in 1891 in Vienna and in 1892 in Prague. Due to envy and plots he didn't find single location for his collections. Annoyed traveller started gradually to sell or give them away to museums, scientific institutions an schools.
Later Holub published series of special documents, contributions to the papers and magazines and passed hundreds of lectures. His early death on December 21 1902 in Vienna was caused by the experienced tropical diseases.
Legacy
- The traveler's monument (by Jindřich Soukup) was unveiled in 1949 in Holice.
- In 1952 movie Velké dobrodružství (Great Adventure) was filmed.
- Since 1970 Holice hosts museum dedicated to Emil Holub.
- Several books were written about Holub (all in Czech): Edvard Valenta "Druhé housle" (1945), František Běhounek "Na sever od Zambezi" (1946), Vojtěch Lev "Za velkým dobrodružstvím" (1947), Jiří Baum: "Holub a Mašukulumbové", Bohumil Bauše: "Život a cesty Dr. Emila Holuba", Ctibor Votrubec: "Jihoafrické cesty Emila Holuba", J.V.Želízko: "Život a utrpení afrického cestovatele dr. E. Holuba v posledních dopisech", J.M.Dlouhý: "Neznámý dr. Emil Holub".
- On February 20, 2002 the Czech National Bank issued a CZK 200 silver coin commemorating the 100th aniversary of Dr. Emil Holub's death.
External links
- Museum of Dr. Emil Holub
- Short biography (in Czech)
- IMDB record: movie about Emil Holub
- Website dedicated to Emil Holub, many details (Czech, English versions)
