Miroslav Zikmund Czech grandfather of travel writing dies 102

The Tatra 87 of Miroslav Zikmund and Jiri Hanzelka which circumnavigated the globe, at Zlin museum. Photo / 123RF

Miroslav Zikmund, a legendary Czech travel writer, has died. He was 102.

The museum in the eastern city of Zlin, where Zikmund had lived, announced his death in a statement, saying he "left for his final journey" on Wednesday. Details were not given. His family also confirmed his death, according to Czech public radio.

Born Feb. 14, 1919 in the city of Plzen, Zikmund teamed up with his university classmate and friend Jiri Hanzelka for two big and sometimes dangerous trips throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and elsewhere that took years.

During their first trip, which began in 1947, they drove a Czech-made Tatra 87 limousine through Africa from north to south, then moved on to Latin America.

Miroslav Zikmund 'left for his final journey' on Wednesday at the age of 102. Photo / Dalibor Gluck, AP

After visiting more than 40 countries, they returned home after 3 1/2 years. The Communists took power in Czechoslovakia during their absence, in 1948.

The pair's second trip, made in two light Tatra 805 trucks, began in 1959. After visiting Turkey and the Middle East, they went east to Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, New Guinea, Japan and the Soviet Union on the way back.

Thousands gave them a heroes' welcome at Prague's Old Town Square when they returned home after more than five years.

Zikmund and Hanzelka wrote dozens of books about their travels that sold millions of copies worldwide and were translated into a dozen languages. Zikmund also participated in making more 100 travel movies.

After the 1968 Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia that crushed a period of liberal reforms known as the Prague Spring, the pair fell from grace for their critical report about the situation in the Soviet Union and opposition to the occupation.

They subsequently suffered political persecution from the hardline communist regime. They were not allowed to travel and their books were banned.

Jak začaly hory zapadávat sněhem, připomněli jsme si jeden z nejkrásnějších příběhů HZ, dobytí nejvyšší africké hory...

Posted by Hanzelka & Zikmund on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

After the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution, Zikmund resumed traveling alone. Hanzelka died in 2003 at age 82.

Zikmund was awarded Czech state honours by presidents Vaclav Havel and Milos Zeman.

Explorer Miroslav Zikmund passed aged 102. One of the disappearing generation of true adventurers, he and friend Jiří Hanzelka were among probably not too many people who camped at the top of the Great Pyramid overnight...among other things. pic.twitter.com/wTl6eLEBny

— Aleš Norský (@GPfacts) December 2, 2021

- Associated Press