Jesen u Lici, the autumn fair in Gospić

Gospić lies a few kilometres off the A1 motorway, two hours from Zagreb and one from Zadar, 60 km south of Plitvice. The fair fills the main square from Friday to Sunday; the animals and the machinery are on the livestock ground in Smiljanska street. Opening hours and the Lika Fest line-up are published by the organiser on jesenulici.hr before the fair.

On the stalls

The stalls on the square sell the food of the Lika plateau: potatoes, lamb, škripavac and other cheeses, honey, plum brandy, smoked meat and dried fruit, each sold by the farmer or cook who produced it. A quality assessment of the products is part of the programme, so exhibitors bring their best. Craft and decorative products fill the rest of the stalls. The organiser lists no admission fee. Arrive in the morning for the widest choice and bring a bag for what you buy.

The native breeds

A short walk north of the square, the livestock ground in Smiljanska street is the farming half of the fair. The breeders bring 4 native breeds: the Lika pramenka, a hardy sheep bred for the plateau's winters, the buša, a small cattle breed of the Dinaric hills, and 2 horse breeds, the Croatian cold-blood and the Croatian Posavina horse. Children can get close to the animals, keep hold of small hands near the horses. Expect grass and mud underfoot after rain, so wear shoes that can take it.

Getting there and parking

By car, leave the A1 at the Gospić exit and follow the signs into the centre. Expect the square and the streets around it to be closed to traffic for the fair, so park at the edge of the centre and walk the last few minutes. Buses run to Gospić from Zagreb, Zadar and Rijeka, and the bus station is a short walk from the square. The railway station is on the Zagreb to Split line, but the train through Lika takes far longer than the bus. If you fly in, Zadar airport is the closest, about 60 minutes by car, Zagreb airport a little over 2 hours.

Where to stay

Gospić is a small town with a handful of hotels and guesthouses, and the fair weekend fills them. Book as soon as your dates are fixed. If nothing is left in town, look at private rooms in the villages around it and in Smiljan, or at Otočac, about 45 km north on the A1. Karlobag on the coast is about 40 km away over the Velebit pass, a mountain road you want to drive in daylight. The Plitvice area has the largest choice of rooms in the region and works if you combine the lakes with the fair.

What else to see

The Nikola Tesla memorial centre in Smiljan, 6 km from Gospić, is the obvious first stop: the rebuilt house where Tesla was born in 1856, the church next to it where his father was the priest, and a hall with working demonstrations of his inventions. Allow 2 hours. In Gospić itself the Lika Museum (Muzej Like) covers the history and folk life of the plateau, and the cathedral of the Annunciation, restored after damage in the war of after 1990, stands in the centre. Gospić is also the gateway to Velebit: the road west to Karlobag climbs through the Velebit nature park to the pass at Baške Oštarije, with views down to the Adriatic.

Practical notes

Take cash. The stalls belong to small producers, many will not have a card reader, and cash machines are in the town centre. Early October on the Lika plateau brings cold mornings and mild afternoons, daytime highs near 16 degrees and nights around 9, so dress in layers and bring a warm jacket for the Friday evening. Rain is possible and the square has no cover. A cool bag in the car keeps cheese and meat in good shape on the drive home. The fair suits families: the animals, the machinery and the open square give children plenty to look at, and the accompanying events across the 3 days are aimed at all ages.