750 Years of the Town of Prelog

The town of Prelog is a modern centre of the Lower Međimurje region and according to its functions and the number of inhabitants it is along with Čakovec, the most important town of Međimurje. Situated at the left bank of the river Drau, it consists of eight town quarters and was proclaimed a town in 1997. According to the so far known historical sources Prelog was first mentioned in 1264 in the document stating that count Lankret had to cede land for the settlement of immigrants – hosts. The main line of settling was the crossroads leading to river crossing. In historical sources a market place Prelog is mentioned in the middle of the 15th century, while in the first half of the 16th century also the management of the market place Prelog, led by the city judge (coll. rihtar) and other members of town administration are mentioned. The market place was established on the upraised beam along the street to the west of the church, situated at an oval elevation. Along the border of the oval, the archaeological remains confirmed the existence of a fortification - a round tower dated to 15th/16th century, most probably erected in the period of peril from the Turks. The market area developed on the spindle-like widening of the Main Street. Today's parish church of St. Jacob was built between 1758 and 1761. In the 18th century guilds are established and trade develops so that in 1786 the settlement numbers 1729 inhabitants in 242 houses. Economic advancement is accompanied by the construction of new buildings, so that at the end of the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th century near the Main Street a number of one-storey and free-standing, baroque-classicist buildings are erected. Due to the construction of these houses the street area close to the church becomes separated forming the representative centre of the settlement – the Main Street Square. In the 18th century also buildings of silk manufacture and salt production establishment are built. The street structure of the settlement is recognisable in the 18th century; however, from that time the settlement spreads towards east and through side streets that diverge from the Main Street, toward south. Street enlargements and side streets are accentuated by pillars with saints, which gives specific value to the morphologic structure of Prelog. Along with the north front of the Main Street (in the 19th/20th century) due to erection of storey-buildings a continual street sequence of business and residential and partly also public character buildings was formed. Among the historicistically built houses there stood out the casino building, a typical example of the “Hungarian Art-Nouveau“. According to the population census conducted in 1900 Prelog – at that time district centre – numbered 4102 inhabitants and 453 houses. Recently, the town has spread to the north and south from the Main Street and in 1989 a power plant accumulation on the river Drau – the Hydroelectric Power Plant Dubrava – Dubrava Lake was constructed. Today, Prelog is a distinguished administrative and economic centre of Međimurje region with a number of also abroad well-known companies while in the world of sports it is known by its speedway. According to the population census conducted in 2011 the town of Prelog had 7815 inhabitants. Dr. Sc. Ratko Vučetić