The Ljutomer Ponds
| Region | Mura statistical region |
| Starting point | By the main road |
| Route length | 1,6 km (0.17 miles) |
| route duration | 0,5-1 h |
| Best time to visit | All year |
| Appropriate for | Baby Carriers , 1-3 years of age , 3-6 years of age , 6+ years of age |
| Level of difficulty | Easy route |
Route Description
This location makes for a most relaxing and interesting stroll. Even our 18 months-old little nugget slowly walked almost the whole distance. The beautiful surroundings, the peace and magic of the water will convince you to come back for more.
Drive towards Ormož through Ljutomer, and at the end of the town, turn left onto the first road on to Podgradje. Follow the road to the Ljutomer ponds (Ljutomerski ribniki), whose marked path starts on the right side. In Podgradje, on the left side of the road next to the first pond, you will notice a small and unmarked macadam parking lot where you can leave your car. The macadam walking-path is slightly narrower from that point on.
The surroundings are beautiful and you can listen to the birds singing their loud symphony. The ground can be quite wet in autumn and spring during heavy rains, so we advise you to wear waterproof hiking shoes. As visitors, we must act responsibly since many animals live in and next to the ponds.
You are just a stone's throw away from the well-known and celebrated wine-country of Jeruzalem. Although the path from the Ljutomer Ponds to the church in Jeruzalem is well known, it is too long for a hike with little kids, so we visited Jeruzalem on a separate occasion. This trip is written about in detail in another post and it includes a description of a route suitable for children over 4 years of age. Interesting facts about this beautiful place are featured just below.
Jeruzalem is rightly called a heavenly place, due to its holy name, the Wine Route with top-quality white wines, beautiful vantage points and the pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Sorrow. Its beauty swayed even the Crusaders, who were looking for a way to the Holy Land in the 13th Century. Here, the Mura statistical region (Pomurska) mountain trail rises to 341 m (1,118 feet) of altitude above the valley. It continues past the town of Železne Dveri via the ponds towards Veržej.
Interesting Facts
Go to the town of Veržej, where you can check out the Ecomuseum (Ekomuzej) and the famous Earth House (Zemljanka), built in Old Slavic style.
“Zemljanka” is a simple Slavic-style house or a residential pit, which is characterized by being dug into the ground, and the upper, aboveground part covered with a gabled roof structure reaching to the ground. It is made of tiny wooden stakes, intertwined branches, straw or reeds. It was used for living, storage and work. The town of Veržej is the most known archaeological site of such nature.
The history of Veržej and its significance are closely connected with the Mura River. Once upon a time, an important trade and military route, which needed to be maintained and protected, led across the Mura River. Along the river, traders imported salt and other important necessities from Upper Styria and Salzburg to our land and stored them in Veržej. The inhabitants of Veržej had to guard and defend the goods against various robbery gangs that forced their way across the Mura River.
Turks and the Kuruc army often attacked the town of Veržej. In 1605, the Turkish army burned down the square and the church. The Kuruc army was more of a robbery gang than a military troop that came from Hungary via the Mura River in the 17th and 18th century to plunder our land.
Local men, also called the Shooters (šicarji) were in the first line of defense during these attacks. When they defeated some annoying Turks, Emperor Leopold I awarded them a special recognition and their own flag. Up until WWI, the Shooters proudly unfolded it in all of the local parades. Some of their heroes are immortalized in folk tales, which intertwine a series of interesting stories, especially about the famous hero called Ropoša. Both the Kuruc and the Turks feared him and the Slovenian author Anton Aškerc dedicated a poem to his reputation.
Do you know how the town of Veržej got its name?
Some people derive the name from the important defence position Veržej Square once had. The word "Wernse", as the old documents name Veržej, means a defensive embankment or defensive settlement in water or in a swamp. The Slovene interpretation of the name Veržej, on the other hand, is based on the word rye and rye fields (rž), which used to ripple across the vast plains. Therefore, the original name was supposed to read "in rye" (“v rži” or “v erži”) which gave the later form “Verži”, or the current one Veržej.
You can spend a night in one of the modern versions of an Earth House in Veržej ;) The camp is open from 20 May to 30 September.
Here are the navigation details ;)
Ecomuseum and TRIO camp
Marianum Institute Veržej
Puščenjakova ulica 1
9241 Veržej
Map
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Nearby Restaurants
Picerija Oxygen
I scream, you scream, we all scream PIZZA! This well-known restaurant is well worth a visit! Delicious pizzas with interesting ingredients will impress even our smallest pizza connoisseurs. They even serve them with wholemeal dough and let me tell you, they are scrumptious! The pizzeria is located not far from Veržej and we were most impressed with the express service they offer ;).
Jeruzalemska cesta 13
Ljutomer
(02) 584 99 20
WEB PAGE
Vita, Olja and Juna Recommend
Oh, Jeruzalem and the beautiful wine hills. The wind rattles (klopotec) in the vineyards blew us away completely.
Do you know what a WIND RATTLE (KLOPOTEC) is?
A “klopotec” is a wooden mechanical device on a high wooden pole, similar to a windmill. It is used as a bird scarer and as a rule, each vineyard in Prlekija has four such devices. Normally each single part is made of a different wood. They protect the vineyards, not only from pests, but from evil forces as well.
Some interesting facts...
Klopotec is traditionally used in the wine-growing landscapes of Slovenia, Austria (“klapotetz”), and Croatia. The wind rattle is one of the symbols of Slovenia.
This device is widespread in Prlekija, Slovene hills (Slovenske gorice) and Haloze (Slovenia). The first written mentions of the technology date to the second half of the 18th century, whereas its oldest depictions date to the first half of the 19th century. At first, they were placed in the fields, and later predominantly in the vineyards. In 1797, Leopold Volkmer also mentioned a rattle in his Slovenian poem “Tolažba enega vincerla”.
These wind rattles are differently made; in the Slovene hills (Slovenske gorice), they have two pairs of blades, in Goričko three pairs and in Austrian Styria four pairs of wings.
