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Međimurje County

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Map showing Medjimurje county within Croatia
Map showing Medjimurje county within Croatia

Medjimurje (Međimurska županija) is a triangle-shaped county in northern Croatia. In the very western part of the county, there are slopes of Alpine foothills, while toward the east it touches the flat Pannonian plains. It divides Slovenia and Hungary, with Austria just over the corner. Međimurje is flattered by the name Hortus Croatiae (the park of Croatia). The climate is continental, with hot tempest summers, calm autumns, and very cold, snowy winters.

Physical characteristics

The county covers the plains between the rivers of Mura (Mur in German) and Drava, both of which regularly flood and rather frequently change their paths. The Mura passes through, dividing Croatia from Slovenia and also from another administrative entity, Varazdinska Zupanija, just to the south. In upper Međimurje, the Mura changes its course often, moving slowly toward the north. The hydroelectric dam on the Drava supplies electric power and is used for flood control and irrigation. Of the whole area, 51,000 ha are used in agriculture; unfortunately, due to the high population density, agricultural land is divided into very small units. 3,000 ha are covered with orchards, 1,000 ha of the hilly area with small picturesque towns like Štrigova in western part are vineyards. Pasturelands and forests (the biggest one is Murščak located between Domašinec and Donji Hrašćan (hrast = oak tree in Croatian)), are roughly 10,500 ha. The county is between 120 and Mohokos's 344 m above sea level. Eastern limits of the county are near Legrad. The closest cities are Varaždin, Koprivnica, Nagykanisza, Murska Sobota, Bjelovar, Maribor, and Graz, in all three states.

People

The area has 125,000 residents in 126 smaller municipalities and is populated mainly by Croatians of Roman Catholic extraction with up to 4% Hungarians, Germans, Slovenes and Roma.It is relatively small (729.5 km²), and often people referred to it as Međimurje malo, with Čakovec, (population 17,500), being the center of local activities. The demographics of the region changed swiftly in the period between 1950 and 1975, with the significant reduction in size of the basic population unit - the family. In the national perspective, there is movement of the population, in permanent terms, toward the Istra region. Movement of the sesonal workforce toward Zagreb. The natural population increase is minute.

Each of the bigger municipalities has an elementary school center, while Čakovec offers more: the Gymnasium, technical and construction high schools, and the academy, (Pedagoška Akademija Čakovec), to fulfill the local and country's needs for education cadre.

Business and economy

The economy of the region is based today on a variety of industries, such as textiles (Međimurska trikotaža) (once known as Graner Co.), footwear (Jelen), food (Vajda and Čakovecki Mlinovi), and metal plants. Other industries include the printing and publishing activities of (Zrinski), building materials, building, construction, and plastics. Industry is mostly developed in the central and eastern parts, corresponding with the population distribution. Transit, communication and the trade (Trgocentar) will continue to be important. Since the early 1970s, significant portion of the population is employed abroad, in Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and beyond. In the national frames area is considered as the rich and prosperous one.

There are recreational spas in Vučkovec and vineyards close to them. There are mountaineering, hunting and fishing clubs, Međimurska Hiza, also numerous places to relax, stay and use precious free time appropriately.

Communication and infrastructure

Međimurje is a strong trade and communication hub connecting central Europe with Varaždin, Zagreb, and Karlovac as well as the port of Rijeka on the shores of the Adriatic sea, mainly in Kvarner bay. Kotoriba is proud of the first railway station building in Croatia and one of the first railway tracks connecting it to Čakovec in the westbound direction. The first railroad track was built here in 1860, helping to connect Budapest with southern ports Rijeka and Trieste. The second one tied Čakovec with Mursko Sredisce and Lendava in Slovenia. The road infrastructure is good and includes the new expressway connecting Hungary via Goričan to Zagreb and the seashore. Everyday communication in business, trade and education within as well between the counties and countries makes the area dynamic and open.

Resources

There are deposits of coal in Mursko Središće, Peklenica and Lopatinec (lopata = shavel in Croatian), the exploration of which was part of economic life between 1946 and 1972. The total output then was close to 4,600,000 t but was unprofitable compared to the price of gasoline. The estimated reserves are 200,000,000 t. but new technology and approaches would be needed. The village Križovec might be the only place in the world where people used to, and still do, extract boulders of coal by pulling them from the bottom of the running Mura river.

Gas and crude oil deposits were found first in Croatia here, in Selnica and Peklenica, in 1856. The last place got its name from the word "pekel", meaning "hell" in local dialect, since the people quickly noticed the peculiar properties of the dark, greasy liquid in small ponds appearing spontaneously on the ground. At the time, reserves were calculated to be around 170,000 t. There was exploitation in from 1886 to 1889 and even in 20th century when demand in the world was in its infancy, and no other sources were even needed. Modern pipeline streaches from Omišalj on the Adriatic coast toward the refinery in Lendava - Lendva just north from here.

Geothermal resources do exist but cannot be considered as a profitable energy source and are used for leisure and recreation. Gold particles can be found in both river's sands. In 1955, the geological survey figured out the gold concentration in the Drava river to be between 2.5- 24.4 mg per m&sup3, occasionally reaching 111-150 mg per m&sup3.

History

The first organized human habitations might be traced here back to the era of junger stone age, roughly 5000 BC. Numerous findings tell us also about life later, in the bronze age. The origins of inhabitants in both historic spans of time are still uncertain. As for the neolithic locality called Ferenčica near Prelog, urban legend tells us only that it was inhabitad by bad, virtueless people.

During the iron age, the tribes here were identifiable as those of the Celts and Pannons, later subdued by the ever-expanding Roman military machine. In the 1st century AD, the Romans according to the geographer Strabo knew the place as Insula intra Dravam et Muram ("the island between Drava and Mura rivers"). The city as a locality was called Aquama ("the wet city"), since the area was marshland. Since 1093, when the Archdiocese of Zagreb was established, this area was always part of mightier Zagreb despite interests of different powers and consequently numerous clashes to try to cut that bond. During the 13th century, number cores belonging to localities that we know today were formed. Prelog was founded in 1264, shortly after the invasion by Mongols in 1242.

Čakovec got its name thanks to the count Dimitry Csaky (Dimitrij Čak), who with the beginning of the 13th century erected the timber fortification that eventually was named "Csaky's tower", mentioned for the first time in 1328. With the decree of king Robert, the fortified settlement on the location of today's Čakovec was announced to be the capitol in 1333. It was given as a gift in 1350 to then viceroy, (ban) Stjepan Lackovic, a member of the Hermann family ruling Nurenberg. Faster development occurred after 1547, (1552?) under Nikola Šubić and the rest of Zrinski family. In 1579, the population of craftsmen and merchants outside the walls was granted the right to trade, which was the beginning of the formal and legal city structure.

The region has a history of being in the hands of different rulers and powers, military buffer zone between the Ottoman Empire and Vienna. The most important era was the period during the 16th and 17th centuries when Čakovec was the headquarters of Croatian rulers, military leaders and intellectuals, among whom the Zrinski family is most famous. Nikola Zrinski (1620 - 1664) distinguished himself in the wars against the Turks. At the coronation of Ferdinand IV, he carried the sword of state and was made captain-general of Croatia. He was killed during a hunt under dubious circumstances. Petar Zrinski, in conflict with the Austrian Empire, was accused of treason and executed in 1671 in Wiener Neustadt while his wife Katarina Zrinski died inprisoned by same rigid dynasty in 1673.

The area was of extreme importance as a trade center, with Hungary positioned just on the main roads facilitating excahange of goods, crafts and ideas.

In 1738, the once-proud castle was hit by another disaster, an earthquake that caused tremendous damage. The Althan family ruling it at that time made some repairs, but times changed. The castle started to decay, slowly sinking into oblivion, while the town's civil activities and their importance started to grow. After 1848, Josip Jelačić, a national and political military leader, pushed the Hungarian forces from that region, and soon the city was freed by political decree. With the year 1860, and later 1889, the railroad was introduced, while in 1893 electric power started illuminating most of the city streets with 131 lanterns.

Miscellaneous, sightseeing

  • Since the 4th century BC, there have been reports on floating mills powered by river streams. Ancient know-how was later accepted first by arriving Slavs, than by Ugars. Many of them were operating along the Mura some decades ago. The last one, in Mursko Sredisce, was still in use in the 1970s.
  • German national Anthem writen by Croatian speaking composer Joseph Haydn is derived from the song known in Međimurje and some northern regions of Croatia under the name "Stal se jesam".
  • The first crude oil pipeline was built in this part of Europe between Mursko Središće and the Selnica in 1901. Interestingly, at that time the annual production was less than 7,000 t.
  • The county, due to the cultural influence of Austria and Hungary, has rich ethnological and folkloristic history. More than 15,000 songs in the county have been collected by ethnomusicologist Vinko Žganec.
  • In Čakovec, the Zrinski's castle, there is local Museum of Međimurje with 17,000 items of historical or ethnological value and an art gallery. Also the Kralj gallery.
  • Around Donji Vidovec, along the Drava river one could still witness today the process of gold prospecting like it was in the past times.
  • The school of animated film, ŠAF (Škola Animiranog Filma), is active doing well and taking its part in domestic and many international festivals.


Municipalities

The other two cities are Mursko Sredisce and Prelog. Towns are Sveti Martin na Muri, Sveta Marija, Draškovec, Donji Kraljevec, Donja Dubrava, Belica AKA the "Potato City", Šenkovec, and Macinec. Nedelišće has one of the first Croatian printing presses installed and operating there since 1570 by the order of the Zrinskis. Čakovec keeps special friendly ties with the town of Schramberg in Germany.

Local notable people


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