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The northernmost and smallest county in Croatia is located between the two rivers Mura and Drava.
These two rivers, in many ways, determined the lifestyle in Međimurje. The landscape is similar to its neighbors Slovenia and Hungary, eastern Podravina, or southern Varaždin County.
With its neighbors – Međimurje sailed through history, and so it is today.
Someone said that the holy land is where the soil is bounded by water. Rivers. This area is like a paradise. Međimurje is surrounded by the Drava and the Mura rivers, and the song says, “how beautiful paradise it is.” Just because of that, most frequent visits to Međimurje are related to the Sveti Martin thermal spa, the famous wellness, and the SPA resort. That fact is not surprising. However, the tourist offer of Međimurje has increased significantly recently.
One of the most famous tourist attractions in Međimurje is Mlin na Muri (Mill over the Mura River, mlin in Croatian means mill). A romantic historical reminder of the mills on the Mura river from the beginning of the 20th century, when as many as 90 mills were located forty kilometers away, unfortunately, but expectedly, completely died out in the 1980s.
Čakovec and Prelog are attracting attention with new hotels and restaurants that have become famous beyond the borders of Croatia.
The gastronomic offer and its diversity are desirable to those who appreciate quality. The offer of private accommodation has recently increased, and glamping is opening in mobile homes 4 * high near Terme Sveti Martin.
So far, about 800 kilometers of bicycle paths have been built in the area of Međimurje, which set it up as a cycling tourist destination of high-quality service in Europe.
Međimurje is also specific in terms of emitting markets. It is a destination with foreign and domestic tourists almost equally represented, ie, 52 for the foreign and slightly less than 50 percent for domestic guests. The most numerous foreign guests are Slovenians, followed by Poles, Germans, Austrians, and Czechs.
The history of Čakovec is connected with the Zrinski family, which gave the town a Croatian mark in the 16th century, the mark of the Europeans.
The Zrinski family came into possession of Međimurje in the middle of the 16th century and gave Čakovec cultural and religious recognition. They brought the Franciscans and ennobled social life. Their mansions and castles have been preserved throughout Međimurje. In the heart of Čakovec is the Zrinski Park and castle Stari grad.
In the castle is the Museum of Međimurje, with more than 17,000 exhibits from the archaeological, ethnographic, and historical collection and art gallery.
Even today’s symbol is the Zrinski Guard Čakovec, a historical military unit whose attractiveness is measured on a European scale, as was the reputation of the Zrinski. Today, Čakovec is building a large part of its recognizability on behalf of the Zrinski.
The must-see is The parish church of Sv. Jakob Apostol in Prelog with a three-part altar and masterpieces by Baroque masters Josip Herman and Vid Koeniger. There is a Roman site of Villa Rustica in the locality of Ferenčica between Otok and Prelog and Solana and Svilana (during the Maria Theresa era ). For naive art lovers, the “Croata Insulanus” museum “Naive Art – Croatian Pride” is unavoidable with a donor collection containing works by pioneers of naive art such as Ivan Generalić, Franjo Mraz, Ivan Večenaj, Ivan Rabuzin, Ivan Lacković Croata, and others.
Due to its history, Mursko Središće is called the City of Miners. Many tourist facilities are related to the mining story. Mining-Mura road with ten information boards locations is marked on the map. Each explains one topic: the city’s history, the mining past, the importance of the Mura river, tourist facilities. The length of the Mining-Mura road is 12.5 kilometers.
There is a Mining Memorial: The only building from the mining period is an old coal separator. It was used for cleaning flat coal from the ground and classifying it.
Štrigova has been known since ancient times for a drop of paradise that was valued by the ancient Romans and was later served at royal and imperial courts throughout Europe as “Divine Nectar”. The landscape of Gornji Međimurje is adorned with more than a thousand hectares of vineyards, ‘Pušipel’s bike path is a perfect combination of eno-gastronomy, nature, recreation, and pleasures, and indulge in winegrowers who will warmly welcome you on their estates. This way, you will get to know the autochthonous Međimurje variety ‘Pušipel’
Many chapels and churches, with the accent on the Parish Church of St. Mary Magdalene, built in the 17th century, dedicated to St. Jerome, today a monument of zero categories, are some of the reasons coming to Štrigovo. The church is known for its two bell towers, which is specific because two bell towers are usually built-in cathedrals. The floor plan of the church is almost identical to the famous Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. The most significant value of the church is that during the 18th century. the famous fresco painter Ivan Ranger painted part of the sanctuary.
A local legend describes the disappearance of the medieval town on Štrigovčak. Its disappearance is shrouded in a veil of secrecy. There are two versions of the disappearance of the city. One says that the fortress was destroyed in the Turkish campaign. The other says; the old town disappeared in a fire caused by lightning as “God’s punishment” due to the arrogance of the Counts of Celje.
Top tourist bait, good fun, indeed unique, awaits in Donji Vidovac on the banks of the Drava. Try your luck, or better patience while standing in a cold river to your knees and throwing gravel on a board, hoping that something will soon shine between the small stones. It will undoubtedly! When you come to Međimurje.
Either you like active tourism, or you enjoy the excellent wines and outstanding local cuisine, or you searching for perfect relaxation in a thermal spa, or you like to spend your day walking along the river banks, whatever you want awaits for you in its specific and unique, the smallest and the most northern county of Croatia, in Međimurje.
Andreja Pruša Horvatić
Editor
