The watermill on the Mura (Žabnik)

At the mention of Sveti Martin na Muri, the first thing most people think of is its spa – Toplice Sveti Martin. Croatia, and especially its northern part and Slavonia, is rich in thermal springs, around which bathing places and health resorts have formed ever since Roman times. Bizovačke, Daruvarske, Istarske, Krapinske, Stubičke, Tuheljske and Varaždinske toplice… It is a list offering an enormous choice when it comes to enjoying thermal baths, pools and water parks, but also a potential that is nowhere near sufficiently exploited, either for tourism or for energy.

Besides the spa, Sveti Martin na Muri and its surroundings are full of other interesting places worth visiting. One of them is certainly the watermill on the river Mura.

Mills once fed the whole of Međimurje. There were as many as a hundred of them on the Mura. In the old days the mills were mounted on logs known as “kompi”. They were placed where the river ran fastest and were tied to the bank with stout ropes. The last mill fell silent in the mid-1980s.

Visitors here can see the ethnographic collection, walk one of the educational footpaths and cycle trails, of which there are kilometres both upstream and downstream, and experience the charm of crossing by raft. Before bridges appeared, rafts were the only link between the two banks of a river.

There is a playground for the youngest visitors.

The whole area is full of lush vegetation and rich wildlife. Ducks and swans are the standard cast, but we also saw a host of other birds, and even a beaver.

Not far away there used to be a stud farm of Međimurje horses, which was relocated after the major floods, so in spring 2024 we still could not visit it at its old site.

With all the facilities listed, you could spend a whole day here. We were a little surprised that on that Saturday in spring, at 10 in the morning, none of the indoor attractions were open. Not even the ferry across the Mura. That left us to explore and enjoy a walk in the countryside.