Vasily Vasilievich Juncker is a Russian geographer and doctor of medicine who became one of the first researchers in Africa.
Biography
Vasily Vasilievich was born in 1840 in Moscow in the family of a banker. His father was a Russianized German and conducted his business in Moscow and St. Petersburg, was the founder of the banking house “I. V. Juncker and K . Vasily spent most of his childhood in St. Petersburg.
Vasily Yunker received his primary education in schools in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Professional education was associated with medicine - Vasily graduated from the Medical and Surgical Academy, then was a student at several European universities (in Göttingen, Berlin, Prague, etc.). He had a short medical practice in St. Petersburg, after which he finally chose research activity for himself. Vasily Juncker went down in history as one of the first Russian explorers of Africa.
Travel and research activities
Vasily Vasilyevich made his first trip back in 1869 - he visited Iceland, then went to Tunisia and Lower Egypt. The main issue that Juncker wanted to clarify was the hypothesis about the displacement of the Nile channel. These trips brought him acquaintances with travelers Nachtigall, Rohlfs and Schweinfurt, who were studying the African continent.
Together with archaeologists, Juncker followed the route in Tunisia in 1873-74, simultaneously studying the Arabic language and Islamic ideology - this significantly expanded his circle of communication. Archaeologists introduced him to the technique of performing geographical and ethnographic works. In 1875, Vasily Vasilyevich explored Sudan. He brings many refinements to maps, including drying up rivers. Subsequently, East and Equatorial Africa became the main research area for Juncker.
Juncker's routes often crossed the paths of other travelers - this allowed him to supplement and refine maps, link them together with his observations and significantly expand knowledge about these places. So, he used the notes of his close friend Schweinfurt and confirmed some of his guesses.
In 1878, Juncker returned to St. Petersburg, and at the beginning of 1879 delivered a report at a meeting of the Russian Geographical Society. Later his works were published, and the collected ethnographic collection was donated to the Russian Academy of Sciences. Rare exhibits of flora and fauna of African nature were donated not only to Russian museums and collections, but also to the Berlin Ethnomuseum.
After a short break, Juncker goes to Africa again. In the fall of 1879, Vasily Vasilyevich decided to explore its central part. This journey will take him seven years. Studying the hydrographic system Uele - Mbomu, Juncker and his expedition found themselves cut off from civilization by the Mahdist uprising. Numerous attempts to rescue the travelers were unsuccessful, and it was only in 1887 that they passed through Suez and returned to St. Petersburg.
For his travels, Juncker always chose the simplest but most reliable equipment. He did not like excesses and was himself rather modest. For exchange with the local African population, he always chose goods of excellent quality, he did not try to deceive the natives. In communication, he was characterized by delicacy, but in key moments Juncker showed severity and perseverance. All these qualities provided him with numerous friends among African tribes, he was respected and loved.
After this trip, Juncker lived in Vienna, organizing and publishing his materials. Vasily Vasilyevich died in February 1892 at the age of 52. His grave is located in the family tomb in Smolensk.
The significance of Juncker's writings for modern times
During his lifetime, Juncker was an honorary member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. His achievements in African exploration were recognized in the UK - he was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Geographical Society.
In Russia, the traveler's contribution to the study of Africa was significantly belittled after the events of 1917. Since Juncker came from a banker's family and had the opportunity to independently finance his research, the Soviet government tried to hide information about his achievements as much as possible. Juncker's works were known only to specialists.
His two main works are
- "Scientific results of travels in Central Africa"
- "Travel to Africa"
They were published in German, and the famous cartographers of the time characterized these works as "extremely reliable."
Vasily Yunker, during his lifetime, began to prepare for publication the Russian version of Travels in Africa. But he did not succeed in completing it, since the traveler died in February 1892. As a result, the Russian-language version was born only in 1949 and in an abbreviated form.
Meanwhile, Juncker has always been distinguished by scrupulousness and accuracy. His observations were regular and lengthy in time, and his knowledge of the language and foundations of Islam made it possible to compile a dictionary of Negro tribes. All his developments came in handy at the beginning and middle of the 20th century, when the African states began to defend their independence. Juncker's works were reprinted several times and are still used today. For example, when organizing popular safari tours around the continent.
