An entire era comes to an end…
If one looks at the demographic data of Heinz Stücke, born and passed away 86 years apart in the small town of Hövelhof, North Rhine Westphalia, one might think that this was a man who lived a quiet, conventional life in rural Germany. And how wrong one would be…
The world has lost one of the ultimate travel greats, the recipient of the NomadMania Travel Lifetime Achievement award in 2022, a man whose feats in many ways defy explanation and challenge all contemporary travellers. Whenever any one of us claims a travel record, it might be wise to step back a moment, be humble and remember Heinz Stücke.
During our 2022 NomadMania Travel Awards online ceremony, we had the opportunity to ask Heinz a few questions.
- Your advice to younger travellers today who want to have their own adventures?
- You’ve received so many prizes, but what are for you some of the treasures of your travels?
- When you first started collecting these items, what was in your mind?
- Some of the most interesting people you met where two emperors?
Watch Heinz’s part of the Awards 2022 here.
Somewhere in the world, 1961
Heinz himself never intended to break any records, nor did he wish to be seen as a legend himself. He just couldn’t see himself conforming to the norms of 1960s Germany, and at the age of 22 left on his bicycle for an exploration that, in reality, lasted more than 50 years, only to be stopped when health limitations set in.
In all, he cycled 648,000 kilometers over those 50+ years, going through 21 passports. He only returned to his native Hövelhof after 51 years, in 2013. By 1995, he had set the world record for bicycle touring.
Heinz encountered many difficulties on his journeys, survived four car accidents, multiple robberies, including one where he very nearly perished, and perpetual financial difficulties, as his ‘job’ was to travel – which didn’t really bring him any income. But thanks to his growing reputation and the kindness of a loads of strangers, he was always able to continue his adventure without ever really stopping.
Obviously content with his own company, he never married, stating ‘I was alone, I am alone and I want to stay alone.’ Love relationships just didn’t work for this restless spirit.
Only in the early 1980s, after two decades of travel, did Heinz decide to attempt a visit to every country – something he succeeded in doing in 1996, becoming one of the first twenty UN Masters in our record.
Paris, 1999
But of course reaching this milestone almost meant nothing to the itinerant adventurer who kept on his explorations, especially in vast countries like China, Argentina or Canada. His number one placing in our NomadMania SLOW ranking speaks for itself. And his massive record of 100,000 photographs – at a time when all photos had to be developed – points to his understanding of the uniqueness and value of what he was undertaking.
In his last years, the community in his local town helped this legend settle back in the same place he had grown up. In his last years, he was immobile, but he still very much welcomed visits from travellers who were mesmerised by his stories, his wit and his collections from a time in travel that is long gone.
Hövelhof, 2025
With Heinz Stücke gone, there are fewer and fewer travellers who can testify to an era when travel was far more mysterious, authentic and rare.
‘The man who wanted to see it all’ or ‘El loco de la bici’ as two different articles of the time called him, is no more. But we will remember him and be inspired by his legacy for many travel generations to come.
