Hidden in a Roman forest near the main town square of the small town of Daruvar, you can find a Jewish cemetery dating from the beginning of the 19th century as well as a mythical spring of love called Julius Brum. Once you have tasted the water from that spring, you will fall madly in love, or so it is claimed.
Nestled between green vineyards and equipped with parks in its center, Daruvar was once a popular destination for Roman emperors and home to a widely-known patrician thermal health resort called Aquae Balissae, which means “very hot springs”. Under the Ottomans, it was an important strategic point. Lanter, it was a market town, and in the time of the Jankovich counts, who are considered to be the founders of Daruvar, the town was transformed into a center for crafts and trade.
Within the Roman forest there is a protected cultural monument, a Jewish cemetery with 160 big and small monuments made of stone and marble that rise above the greenery. About a hundred of them have inscriptions written in Hebrew, German, and Croatian with a Star of David or weeping willow emblem. Newer monuments, including some from after World War II, were erected within the old ones, allowing the deceased to be buried with their ancestors or relatives. Since 1973, the Jewish cemetery has been a Protected Cultural Monument for victims of Nazi terror.
The number of Jews was highest in the period between two World Wars, reaching 200. Jewish families contributed greatly to the development of Daruvar. They were builders, medical practitioners, merchants, industrialists, and the first founder of savings banks in the town itself and the surrounding area.
The first Jewish settlers came from Burgenland and settled Ivanovo field for construction of a glass factory there. Monuments and remains from that area were later transferred to the Roman forest.
The custom of leaving stones on tombstones is a sign of a deep and sincere respect for the deceased, who, in the spirit of the Jewish faith, is honored by this gesture. Everyone who does this proves the gentleness of their own soul and the size of their heart.
The Roman forest is an area that spans 20 hectares and is populated by a variety of vegetation and animals. In addition to the Jewish cemetery, the forest also contains a water spring called Julius Brum (Julio’s Spring or the Spring of Love). There is a myth that claims you will fall in love when you drink the water from that spring.
