Prekmurje
Encyclopedia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and the Rába Valley (the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Rába) in the most western part of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. It maintains certain specific linguistic, cultural and religious features that differentiate it from other Slovenian traditional regions.
Name
It is named after the Mur river, which separates it from the rest of Slovenia (a literal translation from Slovene would be Over-Mur or Transmurania). In HungarianHungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, the region is known as Muravidék, and in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as Übermurgebiet.
The name Prekmurje has been introduced relatively recently. Before 1919, the Slovenian-inhabited lands of the Vas County
Vas (former county)
Vas was the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in western Hungary, eastern Austria and eastern Slovenia . The capital of the county was Szombathely.-Geography:...
in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
were known under the name Slovene March
Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)
The Slovene March or Slovene krajina was the traditional denomination of the Slovene-speaking areas of the Vas and Zala County in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 18th century until the Treaty of Trianon in 1919...
or "Vendic March" (in Slovenian: Slovenska krajina, in Hungarian: Vendvidék). The part of modern Prekmurje that belonged to the Zala County
Zala
Zala is the name of an administrative county in Hungary. Itlies in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia and Slovenia and the Hungarian counties Vas, Veszprém and Somogy. The capital of Zala county is Zalaegerszeg. Its area is 3784 km²...
(the area between Lendava
Lendava
Lendava is a town and a municipality in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics, and Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene...
, Kobilje
Kobilje
Kobilje is a village and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, on the border with Hungary.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Roch. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Murska Sobota.-External links:* *...
and Beltinci
Beltinci
Beltinci is a settlement and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. The municipality has 8,256 inhabitants...
) was not considered to be part of the Slovenian March. However, until the early 19th century, this region of the Zala county belonged ecclesiastically to the Archdiocese of Zagreb and in the legal documents of the Archdiocese it was called as "Transmurania" or "Prekmurje", that is the "territory on the other side of the Mur river". After 1919, this name was rediscovered and introduced again, now for administrative purposes, by the new Yugoslav
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
administration. It however did not gain much popularity among the locals: the name "Slovenian March" was still used by the local inhabitants till mid 1920s, but was later replaced by the term "March of the Mur" (Slovenian: Murska krajina), which became the most used name for the region till World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The current Hungarian name for Prekmurje, Muravidék, still dates from that period and is a translation of the Slovenian Murska krajina. It was only after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
that the name Prekmurje became predominant and quickly replaced all previous denominations.
Nowadays, the older term Vendvidék still exists in Hungarian, but is used only for the small settlement area of Hungarian Slovenes
Hungarian Slovenes
Hungarian Slovenes are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic Slovene minority living in Hungary. The largest groups are the Rába Slovenes in the Rába Valley in western Hungary between the town of Szentgotthárd and the borders with Slovenia and Austria. They speak the Prekmurje dialect of Slovene...
between Szentgotthard
Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd is the westernmost town of Hungary. It is situated on the Rába River near the Austrian border, and is home to much of Hungary's small Slovene ethnic minority....
and the Slovenian border, that was assigned to Hungary after 1919.
Geography
The region is divided into three geographical subregions: hilly area to the north of Murska SobotaMurska Sobota
Murska Sobota is a city in northeastern Slovenia. It is located in the eponymous municipality near the Mura River in the region of Prekmurje and is the regional capital.-Name:...
, known as the Goričko; the eastern flatlands strching between the Mur River, known as Ravensko (literary, "The Flatlands"), and the western lowlands around Lendava
Lendava
Lendava is a town and a municipality in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics, and Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene...
, known as Dolinsko (literary, "The Lowlands"). North-east of Lendava, there is a small hilly sub-region, known as Lendava Hills (Lendavske Gorice).
The administrative and commercial centre of the region is the town of Murska Sobota
Murska Sobota
Murska Sobota is a city in northeastern Slovenia. It is located in the eponymous municipality near the Mura River in the region of Prekmurje and is the regional capital.-Name:...
. The only other bigger town is Lendava. Other larger rural centres are Dobrovnik
Dobrovnik
Dobrovnik is a village and a municipality in Slovenia. It is located in the Prekmurje region. It has a significant Hungarian ethnic community that outnumbers the Slovenes. In fact, Dobrovnik is one of the two municipalities in Slovenia where ethnic Slovenes form a minority of the population, the...
, Turnišče
Turnišce
Turnišče is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It is first mentioned in written documents dating to the 13th century. In 1524 it was granted market rights and town privileges in 1548....
, Beltinci, and Črenšovci
Crenšovci
Črenšovci is a settlement and a municipality in the Prekmurje region in northeastern Slovenia.The Parish Church in Črenšovci is dedicated to The Holy Cross and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Murska Sobota...
.
Population
The majority of the inhabitants of the region are ethnic Slovenes. There are also a sizable Hungarian and Roma minorities in the region.In 1921, the total population of the area numbered 92,295 people, including 74,199 Slovene speakers, 14,065 speakers of Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, and 2,540 German speakers. Since then, the number of Hungarian speakers has been falling slowly but steadily. The German-speaking community, which used to be concentrated in three villages near the Austrian border and in Murska Sobota, was either assimilated or left the area after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Since the early 1950s, Hungarian has had co-official status in the areas of traditional settlement of the Hungarian minority. Three municipalities (Lendava
Lendava
Lendava is a town and a municipality in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics, and Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene...
, Hodoš
Hodoš
Hodoš is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It is part of the Prekmurje region. Both Slovene and Hungarian are official languages in the municipality....
and Dobrovnik
Dobrovnik
Dobrovnik is a village and a municipality in Slovenia. It is located in the Prekmurje region. It has a significant Hungarian ethnic community that outnumbers the Slovenes. In fact, Dobrovnik is one of the two municipalities in Slovenia where ethnic Slovenes form a minority of the population, the...
) are completely bilingual, while two (Šalovci
Šalovci
Šalovci is a village and a municipality in the Prekmurje region in northeastern Slovenia.The writer Mihály Bakos was born in the village.-Demographics:Population by native language, 2002 census *...
and Moravske Toplice
Moravske Toplice
Moravske Toplice is a town and a municipality in Slovenia, part of the Prekmurje region. It is best known as a spa town.The municipality is an important center of Lutheranism in Slovenia. Large Lutheran churches are found both in the settlement, as in other surrounding villages...
) are only partially. Two municipalities, Hodoš and Dobrovnik, have a Hungarian majority.
Prekmurje has traditionally been the most heterogeneous Slovene region regarding religious affiliation. Besides a Roman Catholic majority, there is a significant Protestant (mostly Lutheran) minority, concentrated in the Goričko hills, which represents between one fourth and one fifth of the population of Prekmurje. Three municipalities have a Lutheran majority (Puconci
Puconci
Puconci is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. Prior to 1920 it was known as Battyánd, Hungary.The majority of the population is Lutheran, making Puconci one of the few Slovenian municipalities where the majority of the population belongs to a non-Catholic denomination.There is a Lutheran...
, Gornji Petrovci
Gornji Petrovci
Gornji Petrovci is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. The municipality includes 14 villages, represented in the municipal coat of arms by fourteen simplified blue houses. The shield also includes a heraldic otter holding a golden fish...
and Hodoš
Hodoš
Hodoš is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It is part of the Prekmurje region. Both Slovene and Hungarian are official languages in the municipality....
), while in Moravske Toplice
Moravske Toplice
Moravske Toplice is a town and a municipality in Slovenia, part of the Prekmurje region. It is best known as a spa town.The municipality is an important center of Lutheranism in Slovenia. Large Lutheran churches are found both in the settlement, as in other surrounding villages...
, Lutherans form just under a half of the population.
Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there used to be a significant Jewish community, as well, mostly concentrated in the towns of Murska Sobota and Lendava (see also: Lendava Synagogue
Lendava Synagogue
The Lendava Synagogue constitute the most important Jewish monuments in Slovenia along with those in Maribor, Ptuj, Ljubljana and Nova Gorica. The former synagogue and current museum is located in a small town Lendava, Slovenia, close to the Hungarian border dominated by a hilltop castle...
). In the 1930s, two thirds of all Slovenian Jews lived in Prekmurje. Most of them perished in the holocaust. There is also a significant presence of Roma people in the region, making Prekmurje one of the two major settlement areas of Slovenian Romas (the other being Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola was a kreis of the historical Habsburg crown land of Carniola from 1849 till 1919 and is nowadays a traditional region of Slovenia. Its center is Novo Mesto, while other urban centers include Kočevje, Grosuplje, Krško, Trebnje, Mirna, Črnomelj, Semič, and Metlika.-See also:* Upper...
).
History
- see also Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)The Slovene March or Slovene krajina was the traditional denomination of the Slovene-speaking areas of the Vas and Zala County in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 18th century until the Treaty of Trianon in 1919...
, Republic of PrekmurjeRepublic of PrekmurjeThe Republic of Prekmurje or Mura Republica was an unrecognized state in Prekmurje, an area traditionally known in Hungarian as Vendvidék ...
The region has had a turbulent history: it has been inhabited since the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, it was later included into the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and subsequently into the Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
's Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy
There have been several distinct entities known as the Kingdom of Italy. Italy under the rule of Odoacer from 476 to 493 is often called the Kingdom of Italy, since it encompassed the Roman province of Italy and Odoacer is periodically styled rex...
, the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, the Kingdom of the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
, the Kingdom of the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
, the Slavic state of Samo
Samo
Samo was a Frankish merchant from the "Senonian country" , probably modern Soignies, Belgium or Sens, France. He was the first ruler of the Slavs whose name is known, and established one of the earliest Slav states, a supra-tribal union usually called Samo's empire, realm, kingdom, or tribal...
, the Frankish Empire
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
, the Principality of Lower Pannonia (9th century), and Arnulf
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
's Kingdom of Carantania (9th-10th century). In the late 10th century it was invaded by the Hungarians and was under administration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary until the 16th century, when former territories of this kingdom were divided between the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Since then, Prekmurje was mostly under administration of the Habsburg Monarchy, with brief periods of Ottoman administration. Following the dissolution of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1918, the region was firstly included into the Hungarian Democratic Republic
Hungarian Democratic Republic
The Hungarian People's Republic was an independent republic proclaimed after the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918...
and subsequently into the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....
. In 1919, it proclaimed independence as the short-lived Republic of Prekmurje
Republic of Prekmurje
The Republic of Prekmurje or Mura Republica was an unrecognized state in Prekmurje, an area traditionally known in Hungarian as Vendvidék ...
and was subsequently included into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
). From 1941 to 1945, Prekmurje was temporarily occupied by the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
and in 1945 it was included into the new socialist Yugoslavia. Since 1991, it is part of an independent Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
.
During the Roman administration, the region was part of the province of Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
. Although, earlier Slavic settlements had existed in the area, the ancestors of modern Slovenes moved from eastern Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and settled in Prekmurje after Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
defeated the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
during the reign of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. In the 9th century, this area was part of the Slavic state known as the Principality of Lower Pannonia. The center of this state was in the city of Blatnograd near the Balaton
Balaton
Balaton may refer to:* Lake Balaton in Hungary, the largest lake in central Europe* Balaton Principality , a Slavic state* Balaton , a Hungarian microcar* Balaton, Minnesota, a city in the United States* 2242 Balaton, a main-belt asteroid...
lake. The principality was later dissolved and integrated in the Kingdom of Carantania established by the German Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
. This political entity in which all the ancestors of modern Slovenes were united under one ruler was soon destroyed by the Hungarian invaders who conquered the Pannonian plain and who incorporated Prekmurje into the Kingdom of Hungary. The area inhabited by Slovenes shrank to the present extent by the end of the 12th century and has remained stable since. In the 11th century, during Hungarian administration, the region was part of the Kolon county. Between 11th century and 1526, it was divided between Vas County
Vas (former county)
Vas was the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in western Hungary, eastern Austria and eastern Slovenia . The capital of the county was Szombathely.-Geography:...
and Zala County
Zala (former county)
Zala was a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is currently in southwestern Hungary, northern Croatia and eastern Slovenia...
. In the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th century, during the collapse of the central power in the Kingdom of Hungary, the region was part of the domain of semi-independent oligarch Henrik Kőszegi.
In 1526, the region of Prekmurje came under Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
administration, although some villages were under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
administration during short periods between 1566-1688. During Habsburg administration in the 16th-17th century, the region was part of the Captaincy between Balaton and Drava within the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. For a short time, Beltinci
Beltinci
Beltinci is a settlement and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. The municipality has 8,256 inhabitants...
, under the name Balatin, became the sanjak center of the Ottoman Kanije Province
Kanije Province, Ottoman Empire
The Kanije Eyalet was an administrative unit of the Ottoman Empire formed in 1600 and existing until the collapse of Ottoman rule in Central Europe after 1686 .-History:...
. In 1687, the Vas and Zala counties were restored: with the small interruption from 1849 to 1867, most of Prekmurje belonged to Vas county except for Lendava
Lendava
Lendava is a town and a municipality in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics, and Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene...
district, which was part of Zala county until 1918.
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World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and dissolution of Habsburg Monarchy, following brief period of administration of independent Hungarian state and creation of a short-lived Republic of Prekmurje
Republic of Prekmurje
The Republic of Prekmurje or Mura Republica was an unrecognized state in Prekmurje, an area traditionally known in Hungarian as Vendvidék ...
that emerged in midst of the chaos of the Hungarian Revolution of 1919, the region was captured by Yugoslav troops and incorporated in the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in 1929). In 1918 the catholic politicians and József Klekl aimed to design an autonomous entity or independent state, with the name Slovenska krajina
Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)
The Slovene March or Slovene krajina was the traditional denomination of the Slovene-speaking areas of the Vas and Zala County in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 18th century until the Treaty of Trianon in 1919...
. Between 1919 and 1922, the region belonged to the Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
county, between 1922 and 1929 to Maribor oblast, and between 1929 and 1941 to the Drava Banovina
Drava Banovina
The Drava Banovina or Drava Banate was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of most of present-day Slovenia and was named for the Drava River...
with the capital Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. During World War II, it was occupied and annexed by Horthy's Hungary from 1941 to 1944 and by Nazi Germany between 1944 and 1945. It was liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945. After the war it became part of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
, which was one of the newly formed republics of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
.
Administrative division
Prekmurje is part of the Pomurska statistical regionPomurska statistical region
The Mura statistical region is a statistical region in the north-east of Slovenia. It is predominantly agricultural with field crops representing over three quarters of the total utilised agricultural area, twice as much as the Slovene average...
, also known as Pomurje or "Mura Region", which includes two historical regions: Prekmurje and the Prlekija
Prlekija
Prlekija is a region in northeastern Slovenia between the Drava and Mura rivers. It comprises the eastern part of the Slovenian Hills , stretching from the border with Austria to the border with Croatia. It is part of the traditional province of Lower Styria. Together with the traditional province...
sub-region.
Prekmurje is divided in 19 municipalities:
- BeltinciBeltinciBeltinci is a settlement and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. The municipality has 8,256 inhabitants...
- CankovaCankovaCankova is a town and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia.The area was originally a part of Murska Sobota municipality. In 1995, Cankova - Tišina municipality was formed, which existed until 1999 when Tišina seceded as a separate municipality, giving rise to today's demarcation.The...
- ČrenšovciCrenšovciČrenšovci is a settlement and a municipality in the Prekmurje region in northeastern Slovenia.The Parish Church in Črenšovci is dedicated to The Holy Cross and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Murska Sobota...
- DobrovnikDobrovnikDobrovnik is a village and a municipality in Slovenia. It is located in the Prekmurje region. It has a significant Hungarian ethnic community that outnumbers the Slovenes. In fact, Dobrovnik is one of the two municipalities in Slovenia where ethnic Slovenes form a minority of the population, the...
- Gornji PetrovciGornji PetrovciGornji Petrovci is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. The municipality includes 14 villages, represented in the municipal coat of arms by fourteen simplified blue houses. The shield also includes a heraldic otter holding a golden fish...
- GradGrad, SloveniaGrad is a town and a municipality in Slovenia.Grad means 'castle' in Slovene and refers to the castle dating from the late 12th century strategically situated on a hill overlooking the settlement. It is one of the largest castle complexes in Slovenia, with 365 rooms. After World War II, the castle...
- HodošHodošHodoš is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It is part of the Prekmurje region. Both Slovene and Hungarian are official languages in the municipality....
- KobiljeKobiljeKobilje is a village and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, on the border with Hungary.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Roch. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Murska Sobota.-External links:* *...
- Kuzma
- LendavaLendavaLendava is a town and a municipality in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics, and Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene...
- Moravske TopliceMoravske TopliceMoravske Toplice is a town and a municipality in Slovenia, part of the Prekmurje region. It is best known as a spa town.The municipality is an important center of Lutheranism in Slovenia. Large Lutheran churches are found both in the settlement, as in other surrounding villages...
- Murska SobotaMurska SobotaMurska Sobota is a city in northeastern Slovenia. It is located in the eponymous municipality near the Mura River in the region of Prekmurje and is the regional capital.-Name:...
- OdranciOdranciOdranci is a settlement and a municipality in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia. The village of Odranci is the only settlement in the municipality. Odranci is the largest settlement of the Dolinsko region, which lies between the Mura and Ledava rivers....
- PuconciPuconciPuconci is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. Prior to 1920 it was known as Battyánd, Hungary.The majority of the population is Lutheran, making Puconci one of the few Slovenian municipalities where the majority of the population belongs to a non-Catholic denomination.There is a Lutheran...
- RogašovciRogašovciRogašovci is settlement and a municipality in Slovenia. It is part of the Prekmurje region.-External links:*...
- ŠalovciŠalovciŠalovci is a village and a municipality in the Prekmurje region in northeastern Slovenia.The writer Mihály Bakos was born in the village.-Demographics:Population by native language, 2002 census *...
- TišinaTišinaTišina is a town and municipality in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. It has been an independent municipality since 1 January 1999...
- TurniščeTurnišceTurnišče is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It is first mentioned in written documents dating to the 13th century. In 1524 it was granted market rights and town privileges in 1548....
- Velika PolanaVelika PolanaVelika Polana is a town and a municipality in Slovenia.It has been officially designated a "stork village" . It was also the home of the Slovene writer Miško Kranjec. The house where he was born can be visited. The village is surrounded by fenland and sunflowers, pumpkin, and wheat fields...
The languages of Prekmurje
The majority of the population of Prekmurje uses Slovene, either in its standard form or in its regional variant, the Prekmurje dialect, while notable part of local population speaks Hungarian or Romani.As the region was for a notable amount of time part of the Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg Monarchy and Ottoman Empire, the Hungarian, German and Turkish language were traditionally used in the area. After the political changes that occurred in the end of the 17th century, the speakers of Turkish language disappeared from the area, while political changes of the 20th century caused disappearance of the speakers of German and decrease of the number of speakers of Hungarian.
The Prekmurje dialect served for a long time as the regional language of the Prekmurje region and of the Slovenes in Hungary
Hungarian Slovenes
Hungarian Slovenes are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic Slovene minority living in Hungary. The largest groups are the Rába Slovenes in the Rába Valley in western Hungary between the town of Szentgotthárd and the borders with Slovenia and Austria. They speak the Prekmurje dialect of Slovene...
. It had a codified standard language, and even a tiny own literary corpus of around 2-300 works. However, after the 1930s, and especially after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the use of the written Prekmurje dialect declined drastically, but it was not entirely abandoned. It has continued to be used by wide strata of the population, and the region has retained its own specificities against the linguistic infiltrations from standard Slovene. Most of the Slovene speakers in the region thus live in a situation of diglossia
Diglossia
In linguistics, diglossia refers to a situation in which two dialects or languages are used by a single language community. In addition to the community's everyday or vernacular language variety , a second, highly codified variety is used in certain situations such as literature, formal...
. While the minor languages-dialects are still widely used in most spheres of private life, especially in the rural areas, standard Slovene is used in education, media and public life.
Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
is used in some border areas, especially around Lendava
Lendava
Lendava is a town and a municipality in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is close to the border crossing with Hungary at Dolga vas-Rédics, and Hungarian is one of the official languages of the municipality, along with Slovene...
. In the officially bilingual areas, Hungarian is recognized by the Slovenian governance and is used as the second official language next to Slovene. In these areas, all public signs are written in both languages, and the primary and secondary education is bilingual.
Some of the Roma population in the region have retained Romani
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
. Slovenia recognizes Romani as a minority language
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
, but this official recognition has very little factual consequences. The legal protection of Romani is incomparably weaker than of Hungarian.
Cuisine
Bujta repa
Bujta repa is a Slovene national dish. It was mostly made in Prekmurje, the northeastern part of Slovenia. The expression bujta comes from the verb form bujti . The dish was originally relished in winter at pig slaughter or koline.It was prepared from fatty parts of the pig's head, neck and skin,...
and a layered pastry called prekmurska gibanica
Prekmurska gibanica
Prekmurska gibanica or Međimurska gibanica is a layered cake, originating in the region of Prekmurje, Slovenia and neighbouring Međimurje . It contains poppy seeds, walnuts, apples, raisins, and cottage cheese fillings. Although native to Prekmurje, it has achieved the status of a national...
.
Notable people
- Mihael Bakoš, Lutheran preacher and author;
- Fabian Cipot, football player;
- Rudi Čačinovič, diplomat;
- Zdenka Čebašek Travnik, Slovenian ombudsmann;
- Evald FlisarEvald FlisarEvald Flisar is a Slovene writer, poet, playwright, editor and translator. He was president of the Slovene Writers' Association for three consecutive terms between 1995 and 2002 and is editor-in-chief of the literary and cultural magazine Sodobnost.- Biography :Flisar was born in 1945 in Gerlinci...
, writer; - László GönczLászló GönczLászló Göncz is a Hungarian historian and politician in Slovenia. He is currently serving as MP in the Slovenian Parliament as the official representative of the Hungarian minority in Slovenia....
, historian and politician; - Andrej Horvat, economist and politician;
- Feri HorvatFeri HorvatFeri Horvat is a Slovenian manager and politician, and one of the founders of the United List of Social Democrats, now known as the Social Democrats...
, politician, Chairman of the Slovenian National Assembly (2004); - Ferenc Ivanóczy, writer and politician
- Miško KranjecMiško KranjecMiško Kranjec was a Slovene writer.Kranjec was born in the village of Velika Polana in what was then the Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the son of the village tailor Mihalj Kranjec...
, writer; - Vlado KreslinVlado KreslinVlado Kreslin in Beltinci, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia is a Slovenian folk rock musician.Kreslin was born in the village of Beltinci in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. He began his musical career in his student years, first coming to acclaim as the lead singer with the rock...
, singer; - Milan KučanMilan KucanMilan Kučan is a Slovenian politician and statesman. He was the first President of Slovenia.-Early life and political beginnings:...
, politician, President of SloveniaPresident of SloveniaThe function of President of the Republic of Slovenia was established on 23 December 1991, when the National Assembly of Slovenia passed a new constitution as a result of independence from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
(1990–2002); - Števan Küzmič, Lutheran preacher and author;
- Mikloš Küzmič, writer and translator;
- Feri LainščekFeri LainšcekFeri Lainšček is a Slovenian writer, poet, and screenwriter.-Early life:He was born as Franc Lainšček in a Slovene Lutheran family in the village of Dolenci, near Šalovci, in north-eastern Slovenia, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He studied journalism at the University...
, writer; - Oto LutharOto LutharOto Luthar is a Slovenian historian. Since 1992, he has served as the director of the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana, the largest research institution in Slovenia....
, historian; - Miki MusterMiki MusterMiki Muster is a Slovenian academic sculptor, illustrator, cartoonist and animator. He's best known for his comic books with the characters Zvitorepec, Trdonja and Lakotnik and many others.- References :...
, cartoonist; - Mitja MörecMitja MörecMitja Mörec is a Slovenian Defender, who most recently played for the Dutch Superliga side ADO Den Haag.Mörec is a central defender.He had previously played for NK Mura, Sturm Graz, Maccabi Herzliya, CSKA Sofia and Slavia Sofia....
, football player; - Vilko Novak, ethnologhist, writer, poet, teacher, linguist
- Avgust Pavel, ethnologist and translator;
- Mária PozsonecMária PozsonecMária Pozsonec is a Slovenian politician of Hungarian ethnicity. Between 1990 and 2008, she served as representative of the Hungarian minority in Slovenia in the Slovenian National Assembly....
, politician; - Dušan ŠarotarDušan ŠarotarDušan Šarotar is a Slovenian writer, essayist, literary critic and editor.Šarotar was born in the town of Murska Sobota in northeastern Slovenia. He studied sociology and philosophy at the University of Ljubljana. He has published several essays and columns in renowned Slovenian journals, such as...
, writer; - Cvetka Tóth, philosopher;
- Ludvik Vrečič, painter;
- Radovan ŽerjavRadovan ŽerjavRadovan Žerjav is a Slovenian conservative politician. Between 2007 and 2008 he served as Minister of Transport. Since 2009, he has been the Chairman of the Slovenian People's Party....
, politician.
See also
- Prekmurian dialect
- PrekmuriansPrekmuriansThe Prekmurje Slovenes are Slovenes from Prekmurje in Slovenia and Vendvidék and Somogy in Hungary. The Prekmurje Slovenes speak the Prekmurje dialect and have a common culture...
- Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)The Slovene March or Slovene krajina was the traditional denomination of the Slovene-speaking areas of the Vas and Zala County in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 18th century until the Treaty of Trianon in 1919...
- Republic of PrekmurjeRepublic of PrekmurjeThe Republic of Prekmurje or Mura Republica was an unrecognized state in Prekmurje, an area traditionally known in Hungarian as Vendvidék ...
- Wendish questionWendish questionThe Wendish question in Hungarian politics concerns the origin and nomenclature of the Hungarian Slovenes.The traditional Hungarian term for the Slovenes living in Hungary was "Wend" . Many Slovenes in Hungary accepted this nomenclature, although in their dialect, they always referred to...
- Međimurje