Early history (light blue) The first organized human habitations here can be traced back to the
Stone Age. There is a
Neolithic site called Ferenčica near
Prelog. There are
archaeological sites that date from the
Bronze Age, and 3rd century sites called
Ciglišće and
Varaščine. During the
Iron Age, the Indo-European tribes identified in the area were
Celts,
Serretes and
Pannonians, and the region became part of the
Roman empire. In the 1st century, the Romans knew the area as
Insula intra Dravam et Muram ("island between the Drava and Mura rivers") according to the
geographer Strabo. The most important settlement they established was
Halikan (
Halicanum). The region was part of the Roman province of
Pannonia and later part of the
Pannonia Superior. Čakovec was originally called
Aquama ("the wet city"), because the area was marshland. During the Migration Period, many different
tribes, such as
Huns,
Visigoths, and
Ostrogoths, passed through the region. The region was part of the
Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, the state of the
Lombards, the
Avar Khaganate, and the
Frankish Kingdom. The
Slavs, which settled this region in the 6th century, gained independence after destruction of the Avar Khaganate. In the 9th century, it was included in the Slavic state of
Lower Pannonia. According to some sources, the area was also part of the
Great Moravia.
Medieval history The
Hungarians occupied the region in 896 and expanded to the river
Sava, but as the
Principality of Hungary transformed to the
Kingdom of Hungary, the borders with the
Kingdom of Croatia were set along the river
Drava. In 1102 Croatia entered a
personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary. During 13th century tradesmen and merchants (mostly ethnic
Germans) started to arrive and began to develop the
urban localities that are present today.
Prelog (Perlak) was founded in 1264, shortly after the invasion of the
Mongols in 1242, and the other settlements followed. Later it was part of
Zala County. In the beginning of the 14th century, the area was ruled by powerful semi-independent oligarch
Henrik Kőszegi. Čakovec (Csáktornya) got its name from
comes Csák Hahót, who in the mid-13th century erected the timber fortification that eventually was "Csák's tower", mentioned for the first time in 1328.
King Charles I named Čakovec as the capitol in 1333. In 1350,
King Louis I gave the land to
viceroy (
Ban)
Stephen I Lackfi, a member of the ruling
Lackfi family of
Transylvania. It remained Lackfi property until 1397, when King Sigismund executed
Stephen II Lackfi, and took back the area to the Crown. In 1405, the
Celje family received Međimurje (Muraköz) as a gift from the Crown, and the land was mortgaged. The monastery in
Goričan (Goritsán) managed the administration of the seat of the main territorial dominion as an
attorney of the Celje family.
King Matthias Corvinus bought the mortgage and donated the land to
John I Ernuszt and his son, who were Jewish merchants from Sweden, living in
Buda. The monastery in Goričan, which had managed the administration of the seat of the main territorial dominion, was dissolved. The seat of the administration of the main territorial dominion Goričan came under the administration of the
Bishop of Ljubljana. It remained in the hands of the Ernušts until 1526, when the family died out without heir. is an
autochthonous medium-heavy
draught horse breed originating from the region Since 1526, the region became part of the
Habsburg monarchy, as did
Kingdom of Hungary along with
Croatia. It followed a succession and inheritance dispute between the
Keglević family and the
Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand I. Since 1530 until 1790 Goričan was by
interdictum under the administration of the
Bishop of Zagreb as an attorney of both the Emperor and the Keglević family to prevent any violent confrontations between them both, but
Čakovec became the seat of the administration of the main territorial dominion in 1546, because even the Bishop Simon
Erdődy (1518–1543, Bishop of Zagreb) could not prevent a violent confrontation between the Emperor and
Petar Keglević in 1542/43. In 1546 the
Diet in
Pressburg (Pozsony, today's
Bratislava) approved the transfer of Čakovec and Međimurje to
Nikola Šubić Zrinski. Rapid development began in 1547 under the ruling
Zrinski family. In 1579 the craftsmen and merchants outside the walls of
Čakovec Castle (csáktornyai kastély) were granted the right to trade; this was the beginning of the formal and legal city structure. The area was of importance as a
trade center with Habsburg Kingdom of Croatia and Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary positioned nearby on the main roads, facilitating the exchange of goods, crafts and ideas. The region was also a
military buffer zone against the expanding
Ottoman Empire. Nikola Šubić Zrinski ruled as Nicholas IV (1508–1566). He was a hero of the
Battle of Szigetvár of the
Habsburg-Ottoman wars. Then followed his son,
Juraj IV Zrinski (George IV), until 1603, and his grandson
Nikola VI. Zrinski (Nicholas VI) until 1624. Next was another grandson, a brother of Nicholas VI,
Juraj V Zrinski (George V). He was poisoned in 1626 by the general
Albrecht Wallenstein in
Pressburg and was buried in
Pauline Monastery of Sveta Jelena (
St. Helen in English) near Čakovec, next to the graves of his ancestors. He was followed by his son
Nikola VII Zrinski (Nicholas VII), (1620–1664), a famous
Croatian Ban. At the
coronation of
Ferdinand IV, he carried the sword of state and was made
Captain General of Croatia. He was killed while hunting in the forest near
Kuršanec (Kursanecz), apparently by a wounded wild boar, but there were rumors that he had been murdered by the order of the Habsburg court. His brother,
Petar Zrinski (Peter IV), was noted for his role in the attempted Croatian-Hungarian
rebellion of 1664-1670 which ultimately led to his execution for treason. His wife,
Katarina Zrinska, died imprisoned for the same offence on 16 November 1673 in
Graz. On 19 August 1691 the son of Nicholas VII,
Adam Zrinski, fell at
Battle of Slankamen while fighting against the Ottoman Empire. Parts of Međimurje remained in the hands of the Zrinski family until the end of the 17th century. The last male member of the family,
Ivan Antun Zrinski (John IV), died in prison in 1703. In 1715, during the period of
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Count Michael
Althan became the owner of Međimurje; he received the land for his loyal services. In 1720 the
region was detached from Croatia and was included into the Zala County of the main part of the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. In 1738 Čakovec Castle was hit by an earthquake, which caused tremendous damage. The owners of the city made some repairs, but in 1741, fire caused additional damage. The castle started to decay. The Church of
St. Jerome was rebuilt in 1749 in
Štrigova (Stridóvár) by the famous artist
Ivan Ranger following the demolition of the original 15th century-built
chapel by an
earthquake in 1738.
Ignacije Szentmartony, a
Jesuit from Kotoriba (Kottori), was a
royal mathematician and astronomer in
Lisbon and in 1754 an explorer of Brazil on behalf of the
Portuguese government. In 1791 Count
György Festetics bought Međimurje, including
Čakovec Castle and
Feštetić Castle (Festetics kastély) in the neighboring village of Pribislavec (Zalaújvár), which remained in the property of
Feštetić family until 1923. On 19 April 1848
Josip Jelačić proclaimed a union of Croatian provinces, and their separation from the
Kingdom of Hungary. By 1868, the former status quo was restored. Within the years 1860 to 1889 the railroad was introduced, while in 1893
electric power started illuminating most of the city streets. According to the 1910 census, the population of Međimurje numbered 90,387 people, including 82,829 Croats and 6,766 Hungarians. The
Magyarization between the 1870s-1910s introduced the concept of
Međimurian language (muraközi nyelv). According to this view, the spoken language in Međimurje was not Croatian or Kajkavian, but
Međimurian Slavic, which is a separate Slavic language-family.
József Margitai was the main propagandist of the Međimurian language and he published few Međimurian books. The propagandists exploited idea that the Croatians are dissatisfied with the new
Serbo-Croatian language. Margitai propagated in Međimurian the
usefulness of the assimilation in the Međimurje and the superiority of the Hungarian nation. The fake
Međimurian literary language in fact was only little different from the Kajkavian literary language.
Modern history (after World War I) In 1918, after the collapse of the monarchic union of
Austria-Hungary, and after the disarmament of the local police, the Međimurje region fell into civil disorder. The
National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in
Zagreb sent hastily assembled troops, which crossed the river
Drava and reached Čakovec where they were defeated. In the
second attempt to capture the region in late 1918, troops commanded by
Slavko Kvaternik forced the Hungarian troops to abandon the region. On 9 January 1919, Međimurje joined to the newly created
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as
Yugoslavia). In the Southern region, in the
Slovene March (today the
Prekmurje and Raba March near
Szentgotthárd) there emerged independence-autonomy movements.
József Klekl expressed the program of the autonomous (or independent) Slovene March.
Oszkár Jászi, who supported the Slovene and Croatian minority, completed the program in a proposal: the Slovene March and the Međimurje should be merged. The program did not materialize. Until 1922 the region was part of
Varaždin County. From 1922 to 1929 the region was part of the
Maribor Oblast, from 1929 to 1939 part of the
Sava Banovina and from 1939 to 1941 part of the
Banovina of Croatia. Upon signing the
Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941, the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia became a member of the
Axis powers. In spite of this, after the coup Yugoslavia was
invaded by Axis forces on 6 April 1941 and was subsequently occupied and partitioned. Between 1941 and 1945,
Međimurje was occupied and annexed by Hungary. At this time some re-settlement of ethnic Croats who were settled in the region after 1918 occurred.
Bulgarian troops within the
Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front captured the region in the spring of 1945, and the region became part of the socialist
Croatia within restored Yugoslavia. ==Economy==