Curator-Led Guided Tours of the Exhibition VOJAĜO. Cycling to Asia with Esperanto (1928–1932)
A bicycle journey across two continents, thousands of documents rediscovered after decades, and the story of Esperanto that began in Warsaw. You are warmly invited to join curator-led guided tours — in Polish, English, and Esperanto — of the exhibition VOJAĜO. Cycling to Asia with Esperanto (1928–1932).
Guided tour dates:
- 29 January (Thursday), 5:30 pm – guided tour in English with Pascal Dubourg Glatigny
- 30 January (Friday), 5:30 pm – guided tour in Polish with Gabriela Skonieczna
- 31 January (Saturday), 12:00 pm – guided tour in Esperanto with Pascal Dubourg Glatigny
prof. dr hab Pascal Dubourg Glatigny conducts research on the history of Esperanto speakers in the interwar period at the Alexandre Koyré Centre (Paris). He runs the academic blog Militrakonto and coordinates initiatives aimed at rescuing and preserving Esperanto heritage.
Gabriela Skonieczna is responsible for cataloguing Esperanto-language materials at the National Library of Poland. Previously, she was affiliated with Polish Radio for 20 years; between 2002 and 2011 she co-created daily broadcasts in Esperanto.
Admission is free. No registration required.
In 1928 an extraordinary journey began in Lyon. Lucien Péraire (1906–1997), a young carpenter and Esperanto speaker, set off on a round-the-world cycling expedition, the story of which remains almost unknown to this day. Travelling east through Europe, the Soviet Union, Japan, China and Southeast Asia to Indonesia, Lucien set out in search of an answer to a fundamental question: what causes wars and hostility between nations?
Péraire’s documentation was saved thanks to a digitalisation project funded by the Île-de-France Region. Yet much of the world’s Esperanto heritage remains at risk. In 2023, the National Library of Poland made a groundbreaking decision to take over from the World Esperanto Association in Rotterdam the Hodler Collection, comprising more than seven tonnes of unprocessed materials. Warsaw, the birthplace of Esperanto, is thus becoming one of the leading centres for the preservation of this unique expression of humanity’s shared experience.
The exhibition VOJAĜO. Cycling to Asia with Esperanto (1928–1932) unveils the Péraire Collection to the public for the very first time, offering a carefully curated selection of objects alongside documents held in the National Library of Poland. Together, they trace the evolution of the Esperanto movement around 1930, shedding light on its dynamic activity.
VOJAĜO. Cycling to Asia with Esperanto (1928–1932)
9 December 2025 – 31 March 2026
National Library of Poland
al. Niepodległości 213, Warsaw
Curators: Pascal Dubourg Glatigny, Gabriela Skonieczna
Research collaboration: Sophie David, Régis Fournier, Agnieszka Mozer, Nicolas Raymond
Graphic design: Goodnews | Waldemar Koralewski, Paulina Wojdyna, Justyna Radziej