Ormož (; in older sources , , ,

Prekmurje Slovene Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, Eastern Slovene, or Wendish (, , Prekmurje Slovene: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmörski jezik, panonska slovenščina''), is the language of Prekmurje in Easte ...

: ''Ormošd'') is a town in the traditional region of

Prlekija Prlekija is a region in northeastern Slovenia between the Drava and Mura rivers. It comprises the eastern part of the Slovene Hills (), stretching from the border with Austria to the border with Croatia. It is part of the traditional province of ...

, part of

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

, in northeastern

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. It lies on the left bank of the Drava River and borders with

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

on the opposite bank of the river. It is the administrative seat of the

Municipality of Ormož The Municipality of Ormož (; ) is a municipality in the traditional region of Lower Styria, Styria in northeastern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Ormož. Ormož became a municipality in 1994. It borders Croatia. Geography ...

Name

Ormož was attested in written records in 1273 as ''Holermůs'' (and as ''Holrmues'' in 1299 and ''Holrmůs'' in 1320). The name is based on the Latinized name ''Alramus'', borrowed from Germanic ''Alram'' (< *''Aþala-hraban'', literally 'noble ravan'). The person designated by the name is uncertain, but a possible namesake is Salzburg Bishop A(da)lram (reigned 821–836) because the Ormož area became the property of the

Archbishopric of Salzburg The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (; ) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of Salzburg, as distinguished from the much larger Catholic diocese f ...

in the ninth century.

History

The settlement received market rights in 1293 and town rights in 1331, and it was predominantly known under its German name, ''Friedau''. Until 1919, the population was predominantly German; the census of 1900 mentioned 892 inhabitants, with German as the predominant spoken language (593) followed by Slovenian (227).

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the town is dedicated to Saint James. It was first mentioned in written sources dated to 1271. It was rebuilt on a number of occasions in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It contains

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s from the 14th and 17th centuries.

Geography

Lake Ormož Lake Ormož ( Slovene and Croatian: ''Ormoško jezero'') is a reservoir on the Drava River in north-eastern Slovenia and north-western Croatia, forming a part of the border between the two countries. It was named after the nearby Slovenian town ...

, a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the Drava River, is located just outside the town. Next to the reservoir, there is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

, the Ormož Lagoons, consisting of six former

retention basin A retention basin, sometimes called a retention pond, wet detention basin, or storm water management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage ...

s that served the now-defunct sugar refinery in Ormož. After the closure of the sugar refinery, the six retention basins transformed into a

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

and became an important

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

for birds, including some endangered species of

migratory birds Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and mortality. The ...

. The landscape north of Ormož is

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

y, with many

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s and

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s. The empties into the Drava just west of Ormož, and () flows to the east of the town.

Notable natives and residents

* Ivan Geršak (1838–1911), notary public, president of several local societies, national awakener, politician, writer, and advocate of Slovene * (1905–1975), writer, journalist, editor, clerical political activist * (1790–1844), historian, writer, poet *

Antun Vramec Antun (or Anton, also spelled Antol) Vramec (1538–1587/8) was a Croatian priest and writer. He wrote the first historical book in Slovene. As it was the second book written in the Kajkavian dialect, he was also a founder of the Kajkavian lit ...

(1538–1587/8), historian, writer * Countess Maria Irma Wurmbrand-Georgievich (1886–1970), last owner of Ormož Castle * Baron Guido Georgievich * Marko Bezjak, handball player * Aleksander Vavpotič (1873–1916), monk and choirmaster * Bojan Polak (1918–2004), athlete and communist politician

References

External links

*
Ormož on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Ormož Cities and towns in Styria (Slovenia) {{Ormož-geo-stub