Film About Croat Who Walked Around The World For 19 Years Premiers

The documentary film “Mate Svjetski” (Mate, Man of the World), about a Croatian from the small town of Vrgorac in the Dalmatian hinterland who walked around the world for 19 years, has premiered in Croatia.

The film, by well-known traveller and Alpinist Stipe Bozic, tracks the life of one of the worlds greatest travellers of all time, Mate Simunovic. Simunovic walked around the world for 19 years, passing through 5 continents and 70 countries in his 360,000 kilometer “walk”.

Simunovic, left Vrgorac in 1928 and returned to his hometown in 1947. His dog Globus was his only companion on his journey. Globus died after 11 years in Sumatra, leaving Simunovic to travel the last 8 years on his own.

Simunovic was arrested in 1947 on his return by the secret police organization of Yugoslavia. (UDBA) and spent one month in a Zagreb jail accused of being a spy. Simunovic lived in Vrgorac until his death in 1969 because the Yugoslav authorities would not allow him to leave the country again. Simunovic was a world-renowned travel writer, with many of his travels documented in books.