Story of Czech-New Zealand Globetrotter Bohumil Pospisil

Half-forgotten Czech globetrotter and adventurer Bohumil Pospisil (1902-1974) visited some fifty countries around the world during his five-year expedition in the late 1920s, and his unbelievable adventures resembled a fascinating novel. As he himself stated, he had only one suit, a backpack and a minimum of cash. He travelled through deserts, forests, mountains, on foot, by train, car, wagon, horse, camel, donkey, or elephant, sailed on rivers and across the oceans, covered over 160,000 kilometers in total. Local newspapers referred to his visits wherever he arrived, he met countless important personalities, his notes and observations filled dozens of notebooks. Pospíšil spent several months in China, Indonesia and other parts of south-Eastern Asia and the Pacific. During his world trip, he saw the immeasurable wealth of the chosen ones, as well as the misery of the common people. He took thousands of photographs, depicting natural beauty, cultural monuments, traditions, ceremonies, celebrations, conflicts, and everyday life. His last stop was New Zealand where he spent almost a year and married a local woman. The couple returned to Prague in the summer of 1931, where he made a living as a freelance journalist, but three years later, he moved to New Zealand and never returned to Czechoslovakia. In 1936, he also published a well-received book "Wandering on the Islands of Wonders" about his new home. He passed away in Auckland in the age of 72.

Pospisil´s personal archives considered lost for decades were donated by his descendants to Dr. Martin Nekola, well-known Prague based historian who has published a book on the Czech communities in New Zealand (2021). Based on this precious material, Dr. Nekola set out on a mission to get the name of Bohumil Pospisil back into the public consciousness. He published a number of articles and recently also a book in Czech, stood behind related events at various libraries, galleries and museums all over the Czech Republic, at the Czech Senate, as well as the National Museum of Taiwan. See a short video from one of the exhibits:

https://youtu.be/KV2BOf1vCqQ

The next challenging task is to present and commemorate Pospisil´s story and rare photographs also in New Zealand, where he spent most of his life after all, through a series of lectures and exhibitions, organized in cooperation with the Czech honorary consulates, local universities, and other educational and cultural institutions, above all Historic Places Aotearoa. To make that happen, Dr. Nekola intends a two-week trip at least to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in early 2026. He is currently looking for co-funding for the necessary expenditures (travel, accommodation, exhibition space rental, preparation and printing of a supplementary brochure in English etc…) in the total of 5,000 USD (approx. 8,500 NZD).

“Bohumil Pospisil” is a unique project showing deep Czech-New Zealand connections and shared history. Only a century after Pospisil left for his world trip, we finally have this unrepeatable opportunity to follow his footsteps and to record his name into the gallery of acknowledged and admired globetrotters who helped to reveal the secrets of the mysterious world.

List of venues is open now! Every contributor to this campaign in New Zealand is more than welcome to suggest more venues and both Dr. Nekola and our hero Pospisil will arrive with enthusiasm!