The Green Secret of Northern Croatia
Why not choose green scenery instead of the blue sea, hills instead of waves? Why not replace the unbearably hot nights with a good night's sleep? These questions are being asked by an increasing number of people, according to statistics, which show that trends are slowly but surely changing. The sea is still "in", but the popularity of continental Croatia is undoubtedly growing.
The desire for new experiences or fresh nights may be the motive for a holiday on the continent, but, at least as far as Medimurje is concerned, we guarantee that excellent homemade food and beverages are reasons as well. As for the latter, it's not wine but don't worry we'll touch on it too, what we refer to is a natural juice made from - tangerines and apples. Everything locally grown, everything 100 percent clean and everything on the shelves of a unique
shop - "štacun", or, as they would say in Dalmatia, "butiga". Štacun is a small grocery shop.
Delicacies
"Štacun" a is a small grocery shop with locally grown and made produce where about 20 farmers from Međimurje offer more than 150 different seasonal products during the year. This is the first organized short supply chain in Croatia. And, if for nothing else, it is worth dropping by Čakovec to visit the shop where only homemade and produced within 30 kilometers from it is sold.
And if you want something cooked, Međimurje will not disappoint you either. On the contrary, meso z tiblice (smoked pork kept in minced, seasoned bacon), turoš cheese, bograč stew, fish stew, cabbage with trganci (pasta tatters)
štrukli, purica s mlincima (roast turkey with pasta), carp on a forked branch or rabbit stew are just waiting to play with your taste buds. For dessert, it is either the traditional Međimurje gibanica or its deconstruction, or a simple vanilla ice cream brought to a high gourmet level with a few drops of pumpkin "black oil" and seeds. Wine worth sharing the table with the aforementioned delicacies is undoubtedly Medimurje Pushipel, which has been awarded a silver medal at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. Warmly recommended.
A Floating Gem: The Mill in Žabnik
All calories consumed, solid or liquid, should be burnt, and Međimurje provides an excellent opportunity for that. Namely, the development of cycling tourism is one of the strategic points of development of Međimurje County and therefore a
lot has been invested in bicycle routs, signs, and other services for cyclists. Eko Mura bike trail, which starts and ends at the LifeClass Spa Sveti Martin, is recommended for beginners and those who want to explore the area. After the initial few kilometers, you will reach a mill and Mlinarska kuća. The floating mill in Žabnik is a jewel on the Mura river. Not much is left of the original, but the diligent and enterprising people of Međimurje picked up the remains and built a new mill. It was returned on the river in 2006 and soon became the most visited place within the Significant
Landscape of the Mura river. Next to it is the Mlinarska kuća with a great interactive museum exhibition "One day in the life of miller Franc Žalar", which, thanks to a modern technology, takes visitors back to the time when making bread was a hard work.
From Mud and Gold: Exploring Međimurje's Natural Resources
What is it like to combine virtual glasses with the old methods of making bread? Well, we leave it to you to find out for yourself, and while you do, don't forget to take a look at the floating bread. The bicycle trail follows the course of the river Mura, and takes you to Mursko Središće, where it stops at the memorial home of mining, and continues to the memorial park of the oil industry in Peklenica. Rich deposits of marl (coal) and crude oil, and even gold in the Drava sands have provided a saying that Međimurje nature was created from mud and gold. The trail then separates from the Mura river via Podturn and goes towards Vratišinec, and arrives to Selnica where you can visit the unique museum of old-timers, Šardi. The trail then returns to the spa.
You can rest your tired legs and feed your hungry mouth again in excellent restaurants that bear the label Gurman. It is an internal Međimurje classification that guarantees quality. Everyone will find something to their liking in the rich offer of restaurants, and some of them, in addition to great food and wines, offer views worth coming to Međimurje.
- | 1. St. Martin Thermal Spa/ Davorin Mance
- | 2. Čakovec/ Davorin Mance
- | 3. Žabnik/ Bojan Haron Markić
- | 4. Štrigova/Hrvoje Serdar
- | 5. Štrigova/ Hrvoje Serdar
- | 6. The Drava River/ Davorin Mance
- | 7. Međimurje/ Bojan Haron Markičević
- | 8. Međimurje gibanica/ Maja Danica Pečanić
- | 9. Međimurje/ Mario Hlača