Ormož
The Municipality of Ormož is part of Prlekija – a region between the Mura and Drava rivers – situated between the Slovenian-Croatian border, Gornja Radgona, and Ptuj. Ormož proudly boasts three exceptional treasures: wine, unspoiled landscapes, and its people. Together, these create a rich culture of wine, gastronomy, and traditions.
Ormož encompasses a wider area of plains and hills. Archaeological discoveries rank the town among the largest medieval prehistoric sites. Its location above the Drava River, together with its well-maintained manor house, park, church, and urban layout, makes it well worth a visit and a longer stay, including a tour of the local museum collection.
Many buildings hold historical significance, such as the Turkish Gate, Town Gate, and Hungarian Gate. The park and green areas are beautifully maintained, as is the sports park with a swimming pool. Numerous monuments are also exceptionally well preserved.
Ponudba v občini
Cultural
heritage
Ormož Castle and Castle Outbuildings
After the extinction of the Lords of Ptuj in the 15th century, the castle became the property of various noble families. Today, the castle premises serve representative purposes for the Municipality of Ormož, as well as housing the library, museum, radio station, and Tourist Information Centre (TIC). Alongside magnificent wall paintings considered among the finest examples of Classicist art in Slovenia, visitors can also explore various exhibitions displayed within the castle.
The castle outbuildings consist of a complex connected with several economic and auxiliary buildings constructed during different periods from the 18th century onwards. Various exhibitions are also presented in the exhibition spaces of the castle outbuildings.
Parish Church of St. Jacob
The Parish Church of St. Jacob (Župnijska cerkev sv. Jakoba) stands on the eastern edge of the main town square. The oldest wall painting in the church dates back to the period after the mid-14th century. Around 1630, an expressive composition of the Last Judgement was created on the triumphal arch wall, while the main decoration of the nave is the painting on its northern wall, where 48 scenes from the Old and New Testaments are depicted in four rows.
Also worth seeing is the 16th-century baptismal font. Opposite the church entrance stands a late Baroque Marian column.
Velika Nedelja – Castle and Church of the Holy Trinity
According to legend, the settlement got its name from a battle said to have taken place on Easter Sunday shortly before the year 1200. In this battle, Frederick II of Ptuj, with the help of the Teutonic Order, seized the then-uninhabited territory of Velika Nedelja from the Hungarians and, in gratitude for their assistance in the fighting, granted it to the order.
Symbols of its former importance are the parish Church of the Holy Trinity, built shortly after 1200 — with the oldest baptismal font in Slovenia, dating from around 1235, located in the Romanesque apse — and the castle, a former commandery of the Teutonic Knights. The castle was first mentioned in 1273, although it most likely originated shortly after 1200.
The castle houses an ethnological collection, where exhibited objects reveal the richness of ethnological heritage in the Ormož area. Visitors can also see the beautiful castle chapel decorated with stucco and the permanent historical exhibition Velika Nedelja Through the Centuries.
Natural
heritage
Ormož Park
After 1910, when the castle passed into the ownership of the Wurmbrand-Stuppach family, a large English-style park was laid out around it and planted with several exotic tree species. Due to its design and diversity, it ranks among the most beautiful parks in Slovenia and is one of the few castle parks in the country that has been so well preserved.
At the eastern edge of the park, a chapel with the tomb of the last castle owners was built in the early 20th century. In front of the castle, there is a memorial avenue dedicated to important figures from Ormož and the surrounding area.
Ormož Wine Road
The wine-growing area along the Ormož Wine Road extends in two branches. The first begins in Ormož, or in Dobrava, and leads through Kogl and Strezetina to Runeč, then through Žvab to Pršetinci. It then continues over Koračiški Vrh, across Senik, Sodinski Vrh and Drakšl towards Velika Nedelja. This branch is around 30 km long.
The second branch of the wine road winds from Podgorci to Cvetkovski Vrh and across the Bresnica Valley to Zamušanski Vrh. It is around 10 km long and connects with the Jeruzalem Wine Road.
Along the Ormož Wine Road, visitors encounter exceptional natural beauty as well as rich ethnological, cultural and historical heritage. On the slopes of the hills, many old wooden wine cellars with thatched roofs, known as klečaj, can still be found.
Jeruzalem Wine Road
The Jeruzalem Wine Road begins in Ormož and continues to Ivanjkovci, from where the route leads through Svetinje to Jeruzalem, then through Miklavž pri Ormožu to Kog, where it turns back towards Miklavž and returns to Ormož.
Jeruzalem Manor welcomes all who appreciate the harmony of carefully selected dishes and excellent wines. It is surrounded by an arboretum of exotic trees. Along the wine road between Svetinje and Jeruzalem stands the Malek wine cottage, which houses a small wine-growing museum, a large wine press in a vaulted cellar, and a private chapel with 17th-century frescoes.
The more than 300-year-old building, once used by its owners as a residence and an agricultural facility for grape processing and wine production, has today been transformed into a tourist establishment welcoming organised groups and individual visitors.
The surrounding wine cottages, wine taverns, inns, and tourist farms also offer a rich selection of wines and local cuisine. Along the wine road, visitors can enjoy cycling, horseback riding, carriage rides, and walking along marked paths through the vineyards.
Ormož Basins Nature Reserve
The Ormož Basins are a 55-hectare wetland of anthropogenic origin, located within the Drava River ecosystem near Lake Ormož. They consist of shallow basins with reed beds and stands of cattail, surrounded by floodplain forest — a rare remnant of softwood riparian forest in Slovenia. The wetland is of exceptional national and international importance for numerous endangered bird species.
The Ormož Basins are an important breeding site for waterbirds and a key stopover for migratory birds in Slovenia. So far, 29 breeding species of waterbirds have been recorded here, including endangered and rare species. The extensive reed beds are also home to the western marsh harrier, a species that breeds in Slovenia only in this area. During migration, 30 species occur regularly, and their numbers can reach several tens of thousands of birds during the migration period.
Vegetation in the nature reserve is managed through grazing by water buffalo, which are especially adapted to aquatic environments and are invaluable helpers in maintaining the habitat. Nearby Lake Ormož is also exceptionally interesting in all seasons.
With its visitor infrastructure, the nature reserve is open to the public. A high-quality nature experience is made possible by an educational trail with observation hides and a visitor centre, which is also adapted for groups with special needs. Educational programmes for young people and other visitor groups are also carried out in the reserve in the form of guided excursions.