Croatian brothers on their way around the world
It is the story of two brothers who, trusting only in each other, set out to explore the wilderness where no one had set foot before.
Stjepan Seljan, born on August 19, 1875 in Karlovac, was one of the most intriguing and brave researchers that Croatia has ever had. His incredible life story is full of adventure, discovery and courage.
Growing up with his brother Mirko, Stjepan showed incredible curiosity and passion for geography already in his early years. However, the brothers were not good students. Because of their rebellious character, they were both expelled from school. So, as young men, the brothers went their separate ways. Mirko traveled around the world, while Stjepan decided to sail the high seas as a sailor. But not for long. The brothers met again at the end of 1898 in Karlovac, and decided to embark on a fateful journey.
Military education and knowledge of foreign languages gave the brothers the necessary skills to travel. And the desire for adventure was probably fueled by stories about the African experiences of four young men from Karlovac who went on expeditions to the Congo in the 1880s.
So in 1899, at the age of 24, Stjepan and Mirko embarked on an incredible journey around the world. Their first destination was the wild and mystical continent of Africa. After walking from Karlovac to Trieste, they boarded a ship that took them to Alexandria in Egypt. They spent some time there exploring the land, but their curiosity didn't stop there.
They were drawn to Abyssinia, today's Ethiopia. Their way of financing the trip was quite unusual.
Namely, the brothers held concerts along the way - Mirko played the violin and gave lectures, while Stevo played the flute. That's how they partly earned money to continue their journey. Upon arrival in Djibouti, a country in East Africa, they were not given a pass to travel to Ethiopia because they could not afford the mandatory escort of 40 men, who would ensure their passage through the then insecure area. Therefore, in order to reach Ethiopia, they had to cross the Somali desert on foot.
Arriving in Ethiopia, they entered the service of the then emperor Menelik II. Namely, the emperor invited them to his capital, Addis Ababa. Learning that they were skilled in the handling of firearms, he entrusted them with a company of 300 men and appointed them officers and instructors of the Royal Bodyguard. Mirko became the governor of the southern provinces of Ethiopia, while Stjepan became his deputy.
The villagers built a military camp on a high hill on the northwestern shore of Lake Turkana, which was later named Seljanville in honor of the brothers. Today, the village of Selanzy, which belongs to Kenya, is located in that place.
At the end of 1901, the villagers were looking for Emperor Menelik II. four-month leave to go to Europe. Menelik II. he awarded the brothers gifts and decorations for working in his service. Mirko received the Ethiopian Star medal, and Stevo, the Solomon medal. After Africa, they decided to head towards South America. "Under the title, 'Mision cientifica Croata', we were given the honorable task of penetrating through the rainforests and parts of South America, where the foot of a civilized creature has never yet passed. Only Indians, snakes and wild beasts inhabit these regions, which are marked on geographical maps as 'terrenos disconocidos'", wrote the brothers.
Namely, at the time when the Villagers explored the interior of Brazil and Paraguay, the transport network was very weak. They mostly traveled on foot, on horses and in rowboats. They often passed through very impassable parts that required clearing a path to pass.
After ten years of research, the brothers went on an experimental expedition in August 1912 in the area of the Peruvian Andes and the Huallage River, a tributary of the Amazon. After exploring the terrain, Stevo went to the USA to take care of the financing of the expedition, and Mirko to Lima, which was the starting point of his new expedition through Peru.
The expedition split into two groups. Mirko set off accompanied by an American, Patrick O'Higgins, a porter and 14 armed companions, while the other group was led by the Peruvian engineer Lezcano, along with the North American engineer O'Donnell. At the end of March 1913, Mirko wrote to his mother and brother from the Vingo Jellache Indian settlement, and since then all trace of him has been lost, as has Lezcan's group.
Despite this heavy loss, Stjepan continued bravely forward. At the end of 1914, he set out with the help of the Peruvian government in search of the missing expedition. Stevo wrote down how they found the remains of the bones, and identified Mirko by his teeth filled with platinum.
After his brother's death, Stevo continued to research and travel. His incredible story reaches its climax when in 1917 he settled in the idyllic place of Rodrigo Silva, not far from the town of Ouro Preto, where he started a family with his love Maria Aracy Lessa.
Stjepan then started mining ores and growing tea. During his lifetime, he published many travel sketches in different languages, and he donated wonderful collections of material culture from Ethiopia to the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb.
Andrija Maurović made a comic based on the exciting life of two of the most famous Croatian explorers, called "Grave in the Forest". Stjepan and Mirko Seljan left a deep mark in the history of research and culture. Their incredible feats and legacy will remain a lasting inspiration to all who value courage and the spirit of exploration.
