From Here To Nowhere – Perception & Prekmurje (Lost Lands #74)

It is getting late, the road is long, and I am tired. I can no longer remember where I began or when this journey is supposed to end. I must continue onward because the thought of going back fills me with dread. The true measure of a traveler’s passion comes when the horizon appears limitless. This journey into the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders has gone too far. And all I can do is keep going. I have no idea when or where the point of no return was reached. Most likely in Burgenland, which turned into an obsessive pursuit to scour the countryside for anything of interest. That was where I lost all sense of perspective. There were no dead ends in the province, only roads that took me deeper into its history than I ever imagined. After crossing into Prekmurje, I became resigned to the fact that there was no escape from the lost lands. I doubt that I am the only one who has felt this way in Prekmurje, and that includes its inhabitants.

Mass Movements – Upward & Outward

Eastern Europe, like the rest of the world, continues to urbanize. The population of those who live in the countryside is dwindling. The young and upwardly mobile leave for university and/or to work in other member states of the European Union where the opportunities and wages are better. Emigration abroad, coupled with declining birth rates and an aging population, continues to hollow out the countryside. The situation has not been as bad in Slovenia. It has done as well as any country that spent forty years on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain. Slovenia’s population - albeit by a very small amount - has grown since it declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Slovenia has gained about 200,000 people since 1991. That number sounds small, but it makes up almost ten percent of the country’s population of 2.1 million.

Compared to Hungary and Croatia, two other countries that were also on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, Slovenia’s population increase might as well be massive. Hungary has lost almost 800,000 people since 1990, and Croatia 850,000. Slovenia was fortunate that it was on the periphery of the Balkans, this helped it avoid all but 10 days of the Yugoslav Wars. Slovenia’s economy has traditionally been better than that of either Croatia or Hungary. Anecdotally, this is symbolized by the fact that Slovenia often gets compared to Austria. While it pales in comparison, the fact that Slovenia can be mentioned in the same breath as Austria speak volumes about its reputation. It could even be said that Slovenia is the Austria of Eastern Europe and/or the Balkans. Slovenes, much like the Czechs, prefer to be classified as part of Central Europe. Slovenia has a much less turbulent history than either Eastern Europe or the Balkans. It has been buffeted by tumultuous times in both, but never suffered to the extent that other countries in those regions did.

People Problems – Rural & Restive

When Slovenia suffers through difficult times, it is likely to go unnoticed due to its size. If Slovenia flies under the radar of Europe, then its easternmost region Prekmurje might as well not even be on the map. Prekmurje is an outlier, a lost land not just beyond Hungary’s borders, but within Slovenia as well. Sizing up Prekmurje was eye opening for me. Of all the places in my itinerary for the lost lands, Prekmurje has been the most difficult to grasp. It has a small population and no cities. The same could be said of Slovenia, excepting Ljubljana. While Slovenia’s population has experienced slight growth, Prekmurje’s declined. When Prekmurje became part of Yugoslavia in 1920, its estimated population was 100,000. Today it is 78,000. Despite advances in health care such as infant mortality and life expectancy over the past century, Prekmurje has slowly bled population. Arresting this decline has proved difficult, if not impossible. Young people will inevitably gravitate towards cities and that is something Prekmurje will never have.

One specific set of statistics demonstrates the rural character of Prekmurje. Officially, Slovenia has 69 towns with more than 3,000 inhabitants. When ranked by population the top one from Prekmurje is Murska Sobota which ranks 16th with 11,074 people. That number has declined by 4.6% since 2011. The next largest town does not appear in the rankings until the 54th spot. Lendava has just 2,800 people and lost 10% of its population since 2011. Amazingly, no other place in Prekmurje makes the list of Slovenia’s 69 towns. Thus, Prekmurje is intensely rural and suffers from a declining population which in turn is cause and consequence for its lack of economic development. Prekmurje’s population will almost certainly continue to decline and the economy along with it.

Farming is not a viable economic enterprise for large numbers of people anywhere in Europe, let alone Prekmurje. The soil is not known to be particularly fertile. Even if it was, mechanization has allowed for larger farms with fewer people needed to work the land. Prekmurje does have rural delights awaiting tourists, but the wow factor is low. In a country known for its majestic landscapes, Prekmurje is not going to be a destination for most foreign tourists. As for Slovenes, their love of nature is legendary, but most are going to opt for mountains, lakes, and the coast. Prekmurje is Slovenia’s sedative, a sleepy backwater which seems to have little that recommends it. This perception informs the reality of Prekmurje’s place in Slovenia and the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders. 

Starting Point – Murska Sobota

Searching for a place to begin my explorations of Prekmurje is challenging. Where do I go from here? To the middle of nowhere. The town of Murska Sobota is as good a place to start as any. Partly this is due to it being the most populous place in Prekmurje. Partly it is because this provides me with a definitive starting point to explore the region. In my research on the short-lived Republic of Prekmurje, I discovered that the one place most prominent in its history is still standing in Murska Sobota. The Hotel Zvezda offers the opportunity to reflect on one man’s absurd ambition and the ephemeral nature of power in Prekmurje.