Jelačić Spring (Jelačićevo vrelo)

Jelačićevo vrelo, the Jelačić Spring, is a cold-water spring in the woods of Velika Vranovina, a village a little more than two and a half kilometres from the centre of Topusko. It is one of three well-known drinking-water springs around the town, together with Benkovo vrelo and Mollinarijevo vrelo, and the walk out to it through the forest is a popular short outing for people staying in the spa town.

Topusko is famous for the opposite kind of water. Its thermal springs rise warm from deep underground, and the town grew into a spa resort in the 19th century, when the area was part of the Military Frontier and army officers and their families came to take the waters. The cold springs in the surrounding hills belong to the same period. They were tidied up and given names in the second half of the 19th century, often after senior officers of the Frontier regiments: Mollinarijevo vrelo honours the Austrian general Anton Mollinary, and Benkovo vrelo the regimental commander Ivan Benko.

The Jelačić Spring was set up towards the end of the 19th century. Its name goes back to Josip Jelačić, who before becoming Ban of Croatia in 1848 served as an officer in the Glina-based Frontier regiment. He is said to have come here often to rest in the shade by the water, and the people of the area began calling it after him. The name stuck and is still used today.

What you find is a simple spring in the forest rather than a monument: clear, very cold water coming out of the hillside, shade, and quiet. It makes a good destination for a walk or bike ride out of Topusko, especially on a hot summer day after time in the thermal pools, and it can be combined with visits to the other two springs. Bring a bottle to fill. There is no admission charge and no facilities, so wear shoes suitable for forest paths.