Cmurek Castle sits on the north side of Slovenian gorice hills, high above the Mura river. It was first mentioned in the 12th century, the castle is considered to be one of the oldest and finest in the Štajerska region. It has got a Romanesque ground plan, but a Renaissance façade with an impressive arcaded courtyard. The building was notably marked by the Stubenberg family, who resided in the castle from 1401 to 1931. Today a Museum of Madness (Muzej norosti) is taking shape in its quarters, its goal being to revive the castle’s ancient as well as recent history, including that of treating people with mental disorders.

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Trate is a typical semi-dispersed settlement on the Slovenjske gorice hilltops in the Šentilj municipality.

Novi Kinek

The Novi Kinek mansion was built at the beginning of the 19th century to the south of the Cmurek Castle. Before World War II its resident was the popular Russian doctor Sergej Kapralov, whose life inspired the short story Smrt pri Mariji Snežni by Drago Jančar.

The Cmurek bridge

For centuries the Cmurek bridge connecting Trate and the Austrian town of Mureck has been an important transport link across the Mura river for many centuries. It was built in 1537 by Wolfgang II Stubenberg, thus replacing the then cable ferry. In 1900 the wooden bridge was substituted by an iron one, which was destroyed during World War II and restored in 1955. Today it represents a connection between Slovenes and Austrians, between languages, nations and cultures.

The Hanson or Petek Mill

Between 1912 and 1914, the Englishman Henry Hanson built a steam-mill, which was gradually transformed into an electrically powered mill. Thus industrialisation arrived in the land of watermills on the Mura and the nearby streams. The mill is a good example of industrial heritage.