Murska Sobota is a town that does not rise toward the sky but stretches outward across the land. Its identity is not shaped by the silhouette of tall buildings but by the openness of the Pannonian plain, by a horizon that never rushes and never retreats. Here, one learns to look far—and that very distance has shaped the town, its people, and its character.
When the morning mist lifts above the Mura Plain, a town emerges that has grown from the soil—soft, fertile, and infused with the presence of the Mura River. This river, the eternal companion of Prekmurje, flows west of the town like a quiet boundary between worlds. Once an obstacle, it is now a symbol of connection, a natural reminder of a time when people lived by the rhythm of water rather than the rhythm of the clock.
To the north, the flatlands rise gently into the hilly landscape of Goričko, forming a soft backdrop that embraces the town. This duality—plain and hills, water and dry land—gives Murska Sobota a distinctive geographical temperament: openness balanced by shelter.
Though not large, Murska Sobota beats like the heart of all Prekmurje. Roads from every direction converge here: from Lendava, from Goričko, from Radenci, from the small villages scattered across the plain like grains on a palm. The town is a crossroads—a place where people come to manage their affairs, to heal, to learn, to shop, to meet.
Here stands the regional hospital, a place that marks both beginnings and endings in many lives. Here are the schools that shape future generations of Prekmurje’s inhabitants. Here are the shops, offices, cultural institutions that give the town its rhythm and the region its sense of cohesion. Murska Sobota is a gravitational center that does not impose its importance but offers it—like a natural point of balance.
The people of Prekmurje are those who know how to listen to silence. Their identity is woven from a dialect as soft as the landscape and from a warmth that is unobtrusive yet enduring. In Murska Sobota, this identity intertwines with diversity: the Hungarian minority, the Roma community, and people who arrived from other parts of the former Yugoslavia and made this place their home.
The town is therefore a mosaic—not loud and contrasting, but subtle, in the calm spirit of the Pannonian world. Diversity appears in cuisine, in music, in language, in everyday encounters at the market or in the park. Murska Sobota is a town that welcomes.
The history of Murska Sobota is not a tale of great battles or dramatic upheavals but of persistence. The first mentions date back to the Middle Ages, when it was an important trading post between Pannonia and the Alpine world. Market rights gave it status, and the arrival of the railway in the 19th century accelerated its development.
The 20th century brought turbulent changes: the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the incorporation of Prekmurje into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the war, and post-war industrialization. During the socialist era, Murska Sobota became an industrial center—textiles, food processing, factories that employed generations.
When industry began to decline in the 1990s, the town faced a painful but inevitable transition. From an industrial hub, it gradually transformed into a center of services, entrepreneurship, and new opportunities.
In the heart of the town stands the castle—not merely an architectural remnant but a symbol of continuity. It houses the Pomurje Museum, which preserves the stories of the region: archaeological finds, ethnological collections, photographs, and objects of everyday life.
The Park Theatre, the library, galleries, and numerous cultural associations create a surprisingly vibrant cultural life for a town of this size. Prekmurje’s music, with its Roma influences and Pannonian melodies, is part of its identity, as is its cuisine—bograč, dödöli, prekmurska gibanica—dishes that carry memories of modesty and creativity.
Today’s Murska Sobota is a town that has learned to live with the loss of its industrial giants and to turn that loss into new paths. Its economy is diverse: food processing, logistics, trade, healthcare, tourism. The proximity of thermal spas, natural attractions, and cultural heritage gives the town new development opportunities.
Entrepreneurship is growing, digital services are expanding, and sustainable mobility is becoming part of urban planning. The town does not develop quickly but thoughtfully—in the rhythm of the landscape that surrounds it.