Emil Holub
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Emil Holub (October 7, 1847 - February 21, 1902) was a Czech doctor, explorer, cartographer, and ethnographer in Africa.
He was born in Holice in eastern Bohemia and in 1872 obtained a degree as a doctor of medicine at Prague University.
Inspired to visit Africa by the diaries of David Livingstone, Holub travelled to Cape Town shortly after graduation and eventually settled near Kimberley to practice medicine. After eight months, Holub set out in a convoy of local hunters on a two-month experimental expedition, or "scientific safari", where began to assemble a large natural history collection.
In 1873 Holub set out on his second scientific safari, devoting his attention to the collection of ethnographic material. In his third expedition in 1875, he ventured all the way to the Zambezi river and made the first detailed map of the region surrounding Victoria Falls.
After returning to Prague for several years, Holub made plans for a bold African expedition. In 1883, Holub, along with his new wife and six guides, set out to do what no one had done before: explore the entire length of Africa from Cape Town all the way to Egypt. However, the expedition was troubled by illness and the uncooperative Ila tribesmen and Holub's team was forced to return back in 1886.
Holub arranged two highly successful exhibitions, in 1891 in Vienna and in 1892 in Prague. Frustrated that he was unable to find a permanent home for his large collection of artifacts, he gradually started to sell or give away parts of it to museums, scientific institutions and schools.
Later Holub published series of documents, contributed to the papers and magazines, and gave hundreds of lectures. His early death came in Vienna on December 21, 1902, from lingering complications of malaria and other diseases he had encountered while in Africa.
[edit] Legacy
- The traveler's monument (by Jindřich Soukup) was unveiled in 1949 in his hometown of Holice.
- In 1952 movie Velké dobrodružství (Great Adventure) was filmed.
- In 1970, Holice opened a 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 anniversary of Dr. Emil Holub's death.
