Sveti Martin na Muri (, "St-Martin-on-the- Mur") is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

and municipality in

Međimurje County Međimurje County (; hr, Međimurska županija ; hu, Muraköz megye) is a triangle-shaped county in the northernmost part of Croatia, roughly corresponding to the historical and geographical region of Međimurje. Despite being the smallest C ...

, in northern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

History

In Ancient time

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

settlement ''Halicanum'' stood on the site of today's village Sveti Martin na Muri. Settlement was located on the Roman road that led from Poetovio to

Carnuntum Carnuntum ( according to Ptolemy) was a Roman legionary fortress ( la, castra legionis) and headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. It also became a large ...

. In year 1334 Sveti Martin na Muri was recorded as

Catholic parish In the Catholic Church, a parish ( la, parochia) is a stable community of the faithful within a particular church, whose pastoral care has been entrusted to a parish priest (Latin: ''parochus''), under the authority of the diocesan bishop. It is t ...

named ''Sancti Martini'' in Census of parishes of Zagreb Diocese. In the late 16th century, the nobleman Nicolaus Malakoczy built a castle in the village of Lapšina. The castle fell into disrepair during 19th century and by the 1930s it was completely demolished. In year 1911 in the hamlet of Vučkovec mineral water was found while drilling for oil. In 1936 first pool was built at Vučkovec spring which marked the beginning

Spa Resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs; in the era before modern biochemical knowledge and ...

in village of

Toplice Sveti Martin Toplice is a South Slavic word for spa and it may refer to: * Dolenjske Toplice, town and a municipality in Slovenia near Novo Mesto * Grand Hotel Toplice * Istarske Toplice, thermal health resort in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 11 km ...

. Municipality of Sveti Martin na Muri was established in year 1992.

Geography

Sveti Martin na Muri is located in part of Međimurje called Gornje Međimurje at border with

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. Village of Sveti Martin na Muri, municipality centre, is about 19 kilometres northwest from

Čakovec Čakovec (; hu, Csáktornya; la, Aquama; german: Tschakathurn) is a city in northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, s ...

, and some 110 kilometres north of

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

. The municipality covers an area of 25.24 km². Geomorphologically, the municipality can be divided into two parts. The southern part consists of low hills called Međimurske Gorice, while the northern part consists of alluvial plain of the river Mur.

River Mur The Mur () or Mura (; ; ; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Müra''Novak, Vilko. 2006. ''Slovar stare knjižne prekmurščine''. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, pp. 262, 269. or ''Möra'') is a river in Central Europe rising in the Hohe Tauern national park of th ...

divides municipality in two parts. All settlements of municipality are located on the right bank of the Mur, and the left bank consists of the wetlands and fields. Floodplain of River Mur is part of natural protected area called Regional park Mura-Drava. There is a border crossing with Slovenia in municipality. Border crossing connects municipality with village of

Hotiza Hotiza (; hu, Murarév) is a village west of Lendava in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the Mura River, right on the border with Croatia. Name Hotiza was attested in written sources in 1389 as ''curia Hotyza'' (and ...

in Slovenian

Prekmurje Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur R ...

. Area on the left bank of river Mur is part of ongoing

border dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...

between Croatia and Slovenia.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the municipality had a population of 2,605 in 14 villages. Sveti Martin na Muri is experiencing population decline since the 1980s. The majority of inhabitants are

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

making up 97% of population.

Settlements

Culture

The Church of Saint Martin was built in the late Middle Ages time and later restyled in a baroque manner. There are references to the church from 1334 (''Sancti Martini'') and then in 1501 (''Sancti Martini superioris'') and 1650 (''Sancti Martini in Komory''). The sanctuary is polygonal, arched with late-gothic cross vault, which is carried with ten consoles which are engraved with angel figures and floral ornaments. One has the year 1468 engraved in and there are gothic fresco wall paintings. The present sacristy was built in 1777. The baroque chapel of Saint Margaret in village of Kapelščak was built in year 1775.

Tourism

The municipality of Sveti Martin na Muri has a highly developed

rural tourism Rural tourism is a tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome or host visitors. Agriculture ...

industry. It is considered one of the best

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

and

wellness tourism Wellness tourism is travel for the purpose of promoting health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. Market Within the US $3.4 trillion spa and wellness economy, wellness tourism is estimated to total US$494 b ...

destinations in Croatia, and has received several regional, national and international tourism awards. In 2007, Sveti Martin na Muri was named one of the 10 Best Emerging European Rural Destinations of Excellence. Bathing tourism is based on the healing power of the Vučkovec mineral spring.

Gallery

Sv.Martin na Muri (Croatia) - zapad.jpg, Main Street Dvorac Lapšina (Croatia).JPG, Ruined castle of Lapšina Sveti Martin na Muri Mlinarska koča.jpg, Mlinarska kuća Sveti Martin na Muri municipality location.GIF, Location within Međimurje County 56 Blick von Sveti Martin (4493436119).jpg, View of Sveti Martin na Muri Sveti Martin na Muri Mlin na Muri.jpg, A watermill on Mura Vučkovec (Croatia), toplice - južni dio.jpg, Vučkovec Tourist Resort Ergela međimurskog konja.jpg, Međimurje horse stud farm in the nearby village of Žabnik Most, Sveti Martin na Muri - nosači.jpg, Road bridge over the Mura river in Sveti Martin na Muri Crkva, Sv. Martin na Muri.jpg, Saint Martin Church in the village centre

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sveti Martin Na Muri Municipalities of Croatia Populated places in Međimurje County Spa towns in Croatia