Moravske Toplice

Drilling for oil in Prekmurje in 1960 found hot water instead, coming up from more than a kilometre down at about sixty-five degrees and coloured almost black by the mineral and organic content of the beds it passes through. The spas that grew around it use the water cooled for bathing, and the colour is unlike anything else in the country. The resorts are large, with indoor and outdoor pools, slides and treatment centres, and Prekmurje's flat farmland lies around them.

History

The village is first recorded in 1366, when the Széchy brothers were invested with the Lendva estate; it passed to the Batthyány family in 1640, and the census of 1785 counted 262 people in 42 houses. The spa began in 1960, when a well drilled for oil reached hot water at 65 °C, and the water was officially recognised as a natural healing agent in 1964 (Wikipedia, Moravske Toplice; Slovenian Wikipedia, Moravske Toplice).

The main sights

• The black thermal water - dark mineral water from over a kilometre down at about sixty-five degrees.
• The pool complexes - indoor and outdoor pools, slides and thermal basins.
• The treatment centres - the medical side of the spa using the same water.
• The Prekmurje setting - flat farmland, storks and dispersed villages around the resorts.

When to go

Year round; winter is when the outdoor thermal pools are most enjoyable. Summer school holidays fill the water parks. Spring and autumn are quietest.

What to expect

These are large commercial resorts rather than quiet spas, and in summer they are loud with families. The water's colour puts some people off. The surrounding area has little else for visitors.

Nearby

Bogojina is east, and Murska Sobota is south.

Key facts