A walk around Murska Sobota, the locals call their town Sóbota, will probably start somewhere around the castle, in the thick shade of the luxurious city park, where mothers and children go to cool off in the summer, and during the school year it becomes a popular meeting place for schoolchildren, and by the way, on a nearby bench you can see couple in love...
In the park, we pass the castle with the regional museum, which boasts a special award from the European Museum Forum, received in 1999 for a permanent exhibition that tells about life along the Mura throughout history. Recently, young people settled in the castle rooms, which breathed new life into the ancient walls. The Youth Information and Culture Club (MIKK) is the only one in the region, so it says - itself, which takes care of young people in the field of culture, information, informal education and international youth exchanges, and through its activities tries to encourage creativity. Just a stone's throw from the castle, if we cross the park, is Trg zmage, which has always been the central meeting place of Sóbočans. On nice days, the townspeople like to sit in the garden of the famous Zvezda cafe, from where they can walk to the city center for errands or shopping, which is no longer common due to the flood of suburban shopping centers. Unfortunately, the migration of urban life is a trend in all our major cities. Despite everything, we found some interesting bars that give Sóbota a city stamp. Perhaps it is worth mentioning the Art Cafe, which by organizing art exhibitions and musical evenings on Saturday evenings conjures up a breath of Europeanness in the city, or the teahouse Čaji in..., where you can escape from the hectic everyday life for a moment with the smell of real tea. On the other hand, young people who are looking for entertainment in the city on weekends, swear by the bars in the city market, where they can get something to eat even late at night. A hamburger or a burek at two in the morning before going to bed is said to be very popular... For a better and more serious meal, you have to go to the outskirts, and this, too, seems to be a syndrome of our cities: namely, the disappearance of good restaurants from the centers. But don't worry, you won't cross the Mura either hungry or thirsty. In fact, it's hard to choose between the excellent traditional village inns, tourist farms and wineries dotted throughout the landscape. We've probably all heard of bograč, Prekmurska gibanica, "bujto turnip" or potato brandy "dödöle", and you can be sure that wherever you try them, they will be delicious, and you won't be disappointed with the local wine either. The people of Prekmurje have always been known as good and hospitable innkeepers. Try the local wine at the Lipič - Passero Winery (Suhi vrh pri Fokovci (02) 548 12 36), at the Tremel Tourist Farm (Bokrači (02) 545 10 17) or at the Ferencovi Tourist Farm (Cankova (02) 540 11 17), and you won't regret it.
INSPIRED BY PASSION TO THE ISLAND OF LOVE
What is really worth seeing in Prekmurje? Perhaps Ižakovce, a typical lowland village, where you are hospitably invited to the Island of Love, created by nature on the Mura. On the island, as the locals say, love especially "burns", so they offer you a love potion that helps young and old to realize their most hidden desires. There must be some truth in this, as Countess Marija Zichy of Beltin also arranged her bath here. On hot days, at the countess's invitation, she liked to come here to cool off the gentleman, and probably the hidden corners could tell us many titillating stories from the 19th century. The lovers keep the tradition even today, supposedly the Island of Love is ideal especially for forbidden love, as well as for those couples who cannot conceive children. They say that the seed grows better on the Island of Love... In Ižakovci, they also cultivate the tradition of "büjrastva", that is, strengthening the banks of the Mura. On the Island of Love, you can see a traditional floating mill, and you can be taken across the river by boat, which is a rare experience nowadays. Unfortunately, it is not recommended to swim in Mura today, so it is better to go to one of the spas, the most famous being Moravske Toplice, where you can treat yourself to healing baths in hot thermal water or youthful mischief on the many slides of Terme 3000.
THE PREKMUR PLAIN IS WIDE, BUT...
If you can, drive to Lendava, a town on the border between Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. A mighty castle reigns over the eight-hundred-year-old town. The city is characterized by a centuries-old coexistence between Catholics, Evangelicals and Jews, who each left their mark on the place. You must visit the synagogue at the foot of the Lendava Hills, which is the most important architectural monument of the Lendava Jewish community, as well as the Evangelical church and chapel of St. Trinity with the mummy of the knight Mihael Hadik, which is the only naturally preserved mummy in Slovenia. The people of Lendava take care of preserving the tradition, especially in autumn, during the harvest, they prepare many events, among them the famous Lendava harvest. Travelers who are tired of the endless plains can turn to Gorička, pushed to the extreme northeastern part of the homeland. A land almost forgotten by Slovenians, which, as is typical, foreigners must warn us about. In recent years, the beauty of Goričko has been discovered mainly by the English and they have started to buy farmsteads there. Precisely because of oblivion, the hilly landscape along the Austrian and Hungarian border has preserved an unspoiled natural and cultural landscape, which is an advantage nowadays. To protect this unique land, the Goričko Landscape Park was established, where you must visit the Castle, the largest castle in our country. It supposedly has as many rooms as there are days in the year. On our walk around Prekmurje, we only listed a fraction of what the land of storks, golden grain and its people can offer us next to the seemingly lazy Mura. Once there, it's worth exploring and finding more. For those with more stamina, we recommend a view of the plain from a bicycle. Prekmurje with Murska Sobota is still far from central Slovenia, although it is only about 200 kilometers from the capital. The drive to Maribor still goes well, but after exiting the highway via Lenart and Gornja Radgona, prepare for traffic jams due to road works and convoys of trucks. Traveling by train is now comfortable, but the journey from Ljubljana to the land of storks and golden grain takes about three and a half hours.
