Tuhelj

Tuhelj is a municipality in the western part of Krapina-Zagorje County, covering 23.9 km² with 2,043 residents at the 2021 census. Tuhelj itself, the administrative centre, has only about 195 inhabitants, and the largest settlement is Sveti Križ with 424. The name comes from an Old Slavic word for a hollow or damp spot, and the first written trace of the parish leads to Rome: a document of the Apostolic Court dated 21 October 1402 describes a church with a bell tower, a bell, a baptismal font and a cemetery, while the settlement itself is first recorded in 1403. That church still holds a bronze crucifixion by the sculptor Antun Augustinčić. A newer layer of identity comes from the spa in Tuheljske Toplice, where the Water Planet thermal complex stands beside Mihanović Manor, named after Antun Mihanović, who wrote the text of Horvatska domovina. The municipality borders Kumrovec, Klanjec, Pregrada, Desinić, Veliko Trgovišće and Krapinske Toplice, which makes it a handy base for days in the Zagorje. Four marked walking trails start from the spa and the manor, heading to the Chapel of the Holy Cross on its hill, through vineyards and towards the Three Kings church, and in summer the Summer Fest brings concerts and a goulash cooking contest.

The population of the municipality has fallen from a peak of 3,780 in 1971 to 2,043 in 2021, and 61 people were lost in the last census decade alone. Eleven settlements, from Banska Gorica to Trsteno, are scattered over hilly terrain on the slopes of Cesargradska gora. The economy rests on farming, construction, industry and hospitality, while tourism revolves around the thermal springs in Tuheljske Toplice. The administrative history is winding: from 1962 to 1992 the area belonged to the municipality of Klanjec, Tuhelj became independent in 1993, and Kumrovec split off in 1997. The central school was built in 1982 and the volunteer fire brigade was founded in 1906. The Tuhelj parish still covers both Tuhelj and Kumrovec.