Prekmurje is the most north-eastern region of Slovenia. It is squeezed between Hungary, Austria, Croatia and river Mura - therefore is for most Slovenians like another country - so little we know about it! The reason? Well, Slovenia is very small country and from Ljubljana, which is in the center, you can reach any border within an hour of driving. But not Prekmurje! Murska Sobota - the capital of Prekmurje is 180km or 1,5h driving from Ljubljana.

We decided to end this prejudice and head there to explore the region. And we can assure you, that you won't go disappointed!
 

Storks - typical inhabitants of Prekmurje

Let's start with some data: Prekmurje got its name after river Mura and it literally means Over Mura region. It is known for flat land with a lot of fields, occasionally some vineyard hill, storks, very strong dialect that no other Slovenian can understand and great food (gibanica, bograč).

Now let us take you with us on the day trip around Prekmurje

This is Slovenia, and Prekmurje is the most north-eastern part of it

And this is the close-up of the region

Starting and ending point for us was Murska Sobota. Not much for sightseeing, but BUNKER postapocalyptic stempunk bar is definitely worth checking out!

Interesting design of the Bunker bar

Mills on the Mura river

Not far from Veržej, in Ižakovci, on the other side of Mura one can find another floating mill - Mlin na Muri. This one is not operating anymore, but serves only as a museum. Interesting fact: you probably wonder, why floating mills; well, river Mura is known for its floods and destructive power. So when people made floating mills they avoided rebuilding the mills after every flood, when the river destroyed them. Another very interesting thing in Ižakovci is Brod na Muri - old simple ferry boat that takes passengers and even cars across the river.

Church in Odranci is a symbol of Slovenian perseverance and faith. The plans for the church were made by famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik's assistant Janez Valentinčič during communist times in this region and therefore the government forbade to start the construction and even seized the material. To have something is better than nothing so people made temporary chapel made of wood. After some years permission for building was issued, but under strict conditions, e.g. no bell-towers. Misfortune never rests, as they say, and during the construction of the dome an accident happened and eight people lost their lives. Later, when the octagonal church was  finished, the columns got names after those people. Church started operating and slowly gaining the importance and today's beauty. A big step was made, when famous Slovenian painter Stane Kregar  painted internal frescoes. Just recently the church was finalized with the tower and the bells and is now a masterpiece of architecture, art and perseverance. 

Another bigger city in the region is Lendava at the very corner of Slovenia. It is know for best bograč (regional meat dish) in the world, for beautiful surroundings of vineyard hills with Vinarium tower and contemporary architecture of Theater and concert hall. Rok's architectural opinon is that Vinarium tower doesn't fit in the surroundings, but the view from the hill is still great. So you can save on the entrance fee (7€) and admire the view from the ground. On the other hand, Theatre and concert hall, masterpiece of famous Hungarian architect is very much worth seeing. FYI: in august bogačfest will be held in Lendava where the main street in the city will be closed to cook and eat bograč. We will definitely be back at that time ;)

Turnišče is widely known for its more than 900 years old Gothic church, but what we were more impressed was a pumpkin-seed oil extraction farm Premoša. How to find it? As you drive through the town look for the school. Opposite from the school is a cross and a tiny narrow street. Follow that street till the end (out of the town, past a mini forest) and there you will find that farm. We were curious how the oil is produced and the owner has friendly enough to explain it to us: after the harvest, seeds are separated from the pumpkins and dried for a few hours. Then they add salt and water and mill the seeds into a paste for about 15 minutes. Next step is roasting at 120°C for 45 minutes and then extraction of the oil from this paste occurs at very high pressures. Newly collected oil is placed in barrels and left to cool down. After all this explanation and enticing aromas we bought a bottle of the oil - and guess what! It was poured directly from the barrel into the bottle! So clean and organic!

After all the driving we decided that it is time for a walk in the nature. We entered Park Goričko and headed to Bukovniško jezero (Lake Bukovnica). The lake itself is not that special since it 's man-made accumulation lake, but the surrounding is stunning! There are 26 energy points in the forest around the lake - find the one that answers your problems, stand there for at least 15 minutes and absorb good energy. If you want to take advantage of more than one energy point, you should reserve at least 5 minutes of break between them. As scientists we are skeptical towards such alternative methods, but we tried anyways. I can't say if it worked, yet, but time spent there was the highlight of the day. Peace, silence, only birds singing, beautiful spring time nature ... Truly special place! Nearby is also a small chapel devoted to St. Vid and there is a rumor around it: during the second world war a battle took place in the area and one of the Partisans was wounded so badly that his comrades left him here to die. Next day they came to make a grave for him, but to their surprise he was as good as new! No wounds, no infections, nothing! The saying goes that the energy points and the spring of St. Vid have miraculous powers. Again, I'm a bit skeptical about it since Partizans were not really friends of religion and by no means believers.

Selo is an idyllic village in Goričko. Hilly landscape full of vineyards, nice houses, beautiful view ... and one of the oldest buildings in Slovenia - small chapel Rotunda from 13th century. Although it is very small and currently under renovation (till the end of April 2017) the drive to this place should be in your itinerary. It would be a sin to miss such wonderful place ;)

Biggest Slovenian castle Grad, which counts 365 rooms - one for every day of the year, can be also found in this region. According to the legend it was build by Knights Templar and then throughout the history the owners have been rapidly changing. Unfortunately it was abandoned after the second world war and the Red Army used it for a short period as a hospital. In the winter they needed something to light up the stoves, so they used wooden carpet from the rooms not in use. Nowadays the castle is being renovated and it already looks very nice.

While you are driving around keep an eye for some storks! There are plenty of them here and are sort of a landmark of Prekmurje ;) Restaurant Lovenjakov Dvor in Polana, Murska Sobota has a stork's nest and a camera that enables guests to watch these beautiful birds during your lunch :) 

When you come back to Murska Sobota, we suggest you to stay in HI Hostel Murska Sobota. It offers twin or double rooms with breakfast for a very good price. Very fast WiFi as well as linens are also included. Parking is possible just outside the main entrance. Booking can be done through this link: http://www.youth-hostel.si/hostels.asp?id=32#page=1

If you have one more day in Prekmurje, head to one of the spa centers: Moravske Toplice, Terme Lendava or Terme Banovci, which are on the other side of Mura river.