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Jiří Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund worldwide expedition Photos shown at the Muzeum Jihovýchodní Moravy in ZLIN, Czech RepublicMuzeum Jihovýchodní Moravia in Zlín 147 short films and four features, over 2000 reports and dozens of books were produced by the legendary travellers Hanzelka and Zikmund, documenting their trips to all continents.A special exhibition at the Zlin Moravian museum. Jiri Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund first made their mark when they set out on an expedition to Africa and Latin America in 1947. They had hit upon an original idea for their time: gaining sponsorship from the Tatra automobile company by choosing to travel in one of their cars, the sleek, scarab-like Tatra 87...
The two-man team also negotiated to send written articles, radio and film reports back to Czechoslovakia in return for financing. Their first expedition lasted more than three years, beginning on the northern coast of Africa and ending in Central America. Here Jiri Hanzelka describes a hair-raising encounter with an African hippo:
"It was a few seconds that I was chased by a hippo - my guess is that he must have weighed somewhere between 1 - 2 tons - he was chasing me at a speed that would have broken Emil Zatopek's records."
Certainly a terrifying incident, but one that paled with events happening back home. After making it as far as Mexico, the duo had no choice but to return to a country that was descending into what would become one of its darkest periods: the Stalinist 1950s, a time of trumped up political show trials and executions.
In spite of the changes in the country, the adventurers were at first treated affably by the new regime: they were allowed to publish at a time when most Czechs were forbidden from travelling abroad. Eventually, they prepared for a new journey, this time to Asia, Australia, and Oceania. On a journey lasting more than five years they reported on four specific areas: Indonesia, Iran Jaya, Japan, and the Soviet Union.
The last report would have a devastating effect on the future of their work. Providing a realistic picture on poverty and hardship in the Soviet Union at the time, the report got Zikmund and Hanzelka blacklisted, preventing further expeditions. The duo's activities during the 1968 Prague Spring, and later Jiri Hanzelka's signing of the human rights Charter 77 again put them in disfavour with the Communists. In the end, the report on the Soviet Union would only be published after 1989. The explorers enjoyed a brief return to travel in the 1990s, though Jiri Hanzelka soon suffered health problems that prevented him from continuing his life's passion.
Source: Czech Radio 7, Radio Prague See further article : http://www.fest21.com/image/zikmund_and_hanzelka_legendary_czech_world_travellers  22.06.2007 | Helen's blog Cat. : Africa Asia Australia CDATA Emil Zatopek Entertainment Entertainment Filmfest ZLIN Films Hanzelka and Zikmund Helen Dobrensky Iran Japan Jaya Jiri Jiri Hanzelka Jiri Hanzelka Miroslav Zikmund Miroslav Zikmund Prague Soviet Union Tatra Transport Zlin Childrens Film festival FESTIVALS
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Helen Dobrensky 
Comments (2)
'If there is a paradise on Earth' about Ceylon by Jiri Hanzelka
Dear Rory, Although I did not recall seing anything about the above film while prowling through the 2 expos in Zlin recently (one a reconstruction of a primitive Indonesian Village) and the other, a compilation of his memorabilia about ALL the different continents he visited, it is very possible that the work is somewhere in the Jiri Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund's huge Foundation collection. Did you say he also made 'The Steel Goddess' ? And have you traced that work ? It sounds like a very fundamentalist documentary :). Was your dad from Czechoslovakia as well ? I am working on a more detailed account of H and Z which will be published online so stay tuned.In the meantime, I will try to find out more about your query. The pic sounds divine. I'm truly amazed at how meticulously those 2 engineers documented everything they saw and on a daily basis ! Regards, Helen
Films of Jiri Hanzelka
My parents met Jiri Hanzelka in Durgaphur, India, when he was making a film called 'The Steel Goddess' about the building of a steel works that my father was involved in. A little later my father met Mr Hanzelka again in Ceylon and stayed with him and his wife.
I understand that Mr Hanzelka made a film entitled 'If there is a paradise on Earth' about Ceylon and surrounding areas.
My father has now passed away but my mother oftens talks about the days in India and our subsequent stay in Ceylon as a family.
Would you know whether either of these films are available to buy, and if so how and where i a could get hold of a copy?
Many thanks,
Rory Jordan