Wojtek around the World

Atlanta, Georgia, the USA

After staying in Atlanta and a trip to Chicago, Wojtek went to live with the almost-one-year-old Sara Sophia in Phoenix, Arizona. He sure will be loved there and he will get a lot of sun.

In March, 2016, Tomasz Ciszek took Wojtek on an excursion to Chicago. Here are the photos from their sightseeing adventure.

Wojtek visited the Blue Mountains, Australia

In Australia Wojtek visited the Blue Mountains with the seven-year-old Lara. The three gigantic rocks in the background are called the Three Sisters. Legend has it that the sisters were turned to stone a long time ago. Wojtek then went to stay with Lara’s grandma, Lucyna Sarnecki, and met his Australian cousins, the koala bears.

London, the United Kingdom

Wojtek lives with Agata Sadza, who works at one of London universities. She took him for a night stroll to the Piccadilly Circus. The next day they visited the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Wojtek showed remarkable bravery when he took a selfie with the lions at the foot of Nelson’s Column.

Phoenix, Arizona, the USA

After staying in Atlanta and a trip to Chicago, Wojtek went to live with the almost-one-year-old Sara Sophia in Phoenix, Arizona. He sure will be loved there and he will get a lot of sun. 

South Africa

Wiktoria Pawełczuk, a student at Academos, took Wojtek to South Africa where her younger cousin lives. The girls invited Wojtek to a barbecue and took him to the beach.

Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

Allie Campbell and Roger Dunham were kind enough to welcome Wojtek to their home in New Zealand. They took him to the Abel Tasman National Park, the smallest national park, but also the most visited in New Zealand. Allie and Roger are amongst the cast and crew of Histrionics, who perform living history of the First World War lest we forget. They have just finished a week in Motueka museum which is at the north end of New Zealand’s South Island, remembering local men who served at the Somme in 1916.

Barcelona, Spain

Together with Jola and Remik Wojtek travelled to Barcelona, where he visited Camp Nou – the largest football stadium in Europe. He was really impressed.

Costa Rica

Wojtek was taken on an amazing trip to Costa Roca, a country in Central America. With Joanna Murdza he hiked through the Costa Rican jungle and visited beautiful beaches. He saw the amazing animals and landmarks of the country. It was an unforgettable adventure.

Valencia, Spain

Wojtek likes spending time sightseeing Valencia with Anna and Xavi Bort. He enjoys playing with Xavi’s nephews Pau and Daniel. The boys were very impressed by the Wojtek’s war story.

La Vall D’Uixo, Spain

These photos show how happy Wojtek is with his new Spanish family. They take him for walks in an almond orchard and to the seaside. They dance together. Anna and Manuel Segarra take good care of him.

Odense, Denmark

Wojtek lives with Eva Maria Bjerager who comes from Odense and took her new companion to the house where Hans Christian Andersen was born. Eva Maria is a music teacher in a primary school, so she took Wojtek to meet her students.

Imola, Italy

Ms Rita Visani took Wojtek to Imola. It was a real travel in time because Imola is the town whose liberation he saw during World War II. Here he is by the statue that commemorates his unique story.

Aberdeen, Scotland

With Jan Sawicki, Wojtek attended a football training session with the Brave Eagles, a Polish junior football team based in Aberdeen. Jan, his older brother Mateusz and younger sister Michalina took Wojtek to see Marischal College, the second largest granite building in the world.

Woodstock, Illinois, the USA

Roksana Hybel, an Academos student, suggested that her grandparents, Cookie and Gary, would be really happy to create a new home for Wojtek in Woodstock, Illinois.

Trondheim, Norway

Wojtek is in Trondheim, Norway. Ewa Stawiarska, his new caregiver, took Wojtek to see a very famous ski jumping hill called Granåsen where in 2013 Kamil Stoch claimed his seventh World Cup victory.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

These amazing photos were taken in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Sasha, a cousin of Yaroslav and Aksynya Knyazkov, took her new friend to the Royal Palace and the Independence Monument in the heart of the city.

Ostrava, the Czech Republic

Wojtek went to live in a very special school community in Ostrava. Two teachers, Šárka Purkyňová and Vlasta Ležovičová, visited Academos in December 2015. Inspired by our activities and the children’s engagement, they decided to carry out a similar project in their school. We are proud to present its results here: http://www.kosmonautu15.cz/fotogalerie-zs/po-stopach-medveda-wojtka.html

Cadiz, Spain

Wojtek arrived to Algeciras (Andalusia), southern Spain, the city where Sonia Prados, his host, was born. He stayed there for a few weeks with her family. Then he went to Bologna Beach in Tarifa, the most beautiful beach in Spain, with fine sand and crystal clear water. He rested after the long journey, walked along the beach, sunbathed and swam a little although the water was still much too cold. Then he came to Cadiz, where Sonia lives and works now. There he walks a lot, eats fried fish, and accompanies Sonia to work.

Zaandam, the Netherlands

Wojtek stays in a high school in Zaandam, the Netherlands. The photo was sent to us by Mariët van den Berg. There are a lot of bicycles in front of the school.

Nootdorp, the Netherlands

This beautiful windmill is in Nootdrop, the Netherlands. Julek and Helenka van Rijn’s grandparents, Ans and André, live there.

Gurgaon, India

Wojtek spends a day at Delhi Public School, Gurgaon, India, and is wearing the school scarf. With to Ms Mamta Kumar, he went to the Infant, Middle and Senior Wings of the school and made a lot of new friends. He even got to travel on the yellow school bus.

Rokiškis, Lithuania

Ms Irena Mateliene, a teacher at Rokiškis Primary School-Kindergarten ,,Ąžuoliukas’”, took Wojtek to meet her students who were greatly interested in the bear’s story and loved the comic books they received from Academos students. Rokiškis is a small town in the western part of Lithuania.

Mexico City, Mexico

Sara and Juan Pablo Ciszek live in Mexico City, Mexico. One day they took Wojtek to Teotihuacan, an ancient city that was built even a thousand years before the Aztecs arrived and took it over. The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest structure on the site and one of the largest buildings of its kind on the Western Hemisphere.

Moscow, Russia

We sent Wojtek to Moscow, Russia to live with Yaroslav and Aksynya Knyazkov’s grandparents. Here is their grandma with Wojtek in the Red Square.

Paris, France

Two teddy bears went to Paris. One of them took a sightseeing tour with Joanna Murdza, an English teacher currently based there. Together they saw the city’s famous landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the River Seine. Wojtek also did some shopping and travelled by Paris underground.
The other teddy bear went to Paris with Anna Bigosz, an English teacher at Academos. They visited Centre Georges Pompidou, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the Notre Dame Cathedral and other interesting places.