Medjimurje County

The name says everything: Međimurje means 'between the Mura.' This triangle of land is defined by two rivers—the Mura forming the northern border with Slovenia and Hungary, the Drava forming the southern border with Varaždin County. Where the Mura flows into the Drava near Legrad, the triangle closes. Croatia's smallest county by area (729 km²) is also its most densely populated outside Zagreb—approximately 145 people per square kilometer in a country averaging 73.

Geography made Međimurje a crossroads. Twenty kilometers of Slovenian territory separate it from Austria; Hungary touches its eastern edge. This position could have marginalized the county but instead connected it. Međimurje now leads Croatia in exports per capita at €9,881—the highest of any county—with Germany, Austria, and Slovenia as primary markets. Manufacturing, metalworking, and increasingly IT drive an economy that runs a consistent trade surplus.

The rivers themselves provide resources beyond navigation. Two hydroelectric plants on the Drava created Lake Dubrava, Croatia's largest artificial lake. Both the Mura and Drava carry placer gold—geological surveys in 1955 found concentrations occasionally reaching 150 mg/m³ in Drava sediments. Oil production began at Mihovljan in 1988; natural gas fields entered testing in 2016. The 'Croatian flower garden' nickname references the agricultural intensity: cereals, maize, potatoes, apple orchards covering the flat eastern plains, vineyards climbing the western hills.

The Mura itself remains one of Europe's last naturally preserved major rivers—not straightened, not channelized, its meanders and floodplains intact. This accident of preservation now attracts eco-tourists and researchers. By 2026, Međimurje faces the enviable challenge of maintaining export competitiveness while protecting the riverine ecosystems that define its boundaries.