Ninety-five years ago, Václav Vojtěch, geography teacher, scientist and
polar explorer, became the first Czech to reach Antarctica together
with an American expedition.
[1]Václav Vojtěch | Photo: archive of the Nový Bydžov
Václav Vojtěch|Photo: archive of the Nový Bydžov
Václav Vojtěch was born in 1901 in the town of Skřivany, east of
Prague, and as the son of a forester, loved adventure and the great
outdoors from an early age. He studied history and geography, and as an
editor of Czechoslovak Radio he was able to visit Paris. There, he saw
a film about the race to the South Pole between Norwegian Roald
Amundsen and British adventurer Robert Scott and became obsessed with
the notion to reach the South Pole himself. Eventually, after many
attempts and rejections, he was able to join an expedition to
Antarctica led by the American Admiral Richard Byrd. Vojtěch was
twenty-seven, and although he participated in the expedition only as a
gunner on a supply ship and later as a waiter, on January 27, 1929 his
lifelong dream came true. That day he stepped onto the shore in Ross
Sea's Whale Bay on the coast of Antarctica.
[2]Václav Vojtěch with his dog York on board 'City of New York' |
Photo: Václav Vojtěch, 'Námořníkem, topičem a psovodem za jižním
polárním kruhem', 1932
Václav Vojtěch with his dog York on board 'City of New York'|Photo:
Václav Vojtěch, 'Námořníkem, topičem a psovodem za jižním polárním
kruhem', 1932
He also participated in the triumphant return of the Byrd Expedition to
the United States and, following an audience with President Herbert
Hoover, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, America's highest
civilian honor. Vojtěch became its first Czech recipient. When he
returned to Czechoslovakia in July 1930, as a respected polar explorer,
he was accompanied by his dog York, the first musher's dog in Bohemia
and Vojtěch's loyal friend.
[3]Václav Vojtěch with his dog York after returning to Prague in 1930 |
Photo: /a a/, e-Sbírky, National Museum, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED
Václav Vojtěch with his dog York after returning to Prague in
1930|Photo: /a a/, e-Sbírky, National Museum, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED
In memory of Dr. Václav Vojtěch, a dog sled race "[4]Ice Ride - Dr.
Václav Vojtěch Memorial" has been held annually in the Krkonoše
Mountains since 1986. The race is inspired by long trails through the
Arctic wilderness, during which the musher carries everything he needs
with him.
References
1.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/vojtech_vaclav_0.jpg?itok=R6gMjPJf×tamp=1706260885
2.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/013126ed3d0d8d3e09974a3d89e4f73f.jpg?itok=VghWzWsc×tamp=1706292248
3.
https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/styles/rcz_lightbox_v2/public/images/074061ddfb77e3f43521ae8e56e47fb9.jpg?itok=kp6J5WQl×tamp=1706292624
4.
https://www.ledovajizda.cz/
