Visitors of Donji Vidovec will soon be able to get an attractive souvenir, a unique perfume created as a tribute to the history of gold panning in Međimurje
We recently reported about the Plitvice Lakes becoming the second destination in Croatia – after Mljet island – to offer its very own perfume as a unique souvenir for visitors. A month later, another destination joins the ranks: Donji Vidovec, a municipality in Međimurje known for its long history of panning for gold on the river Drava.
Donji Vidovec will soon open a memorial centre dedicated to the local gold panners, reports Lokalni on March 26, 2018. They have decided to create a perfume containing flecks of gold as a tribute to Matej Horvat, the best known gold panner in this part of Europe who passed away on February 1 at the age of 95.
The perfume’s creator, Dejan Levačić from Čakovec, said he first got the idea in 2016. “Gold panning was grueling work, one that Matej had been doing for decades. Considering that gold has no natural scent, I used saffron, trying to evoke the craft and the life of panners who had been active until hydroelectric power plants started to get built along the river Drava”, Levačić said.
He named the perfume Gold, burying the first batch of perfumed liquid in the river Drava, at the spot where Matej Horvat first started panning for gold. As Levačić stated, he wanted the perfume to absorb the energy of the soil; he dug it out six months later, left it to rest for two more months, filtered the liquid and bottled it, adding 24 flecks of 24-carat gold foil to each perfume bottle. The first was presented to Katarina Lukač, the sister of the departed Matej.
Levačić’s project was backed by Donji Vidovec Municipality, the local tourist board and Međimurje County. Bottles of Gold will be displayed at the future centre of Vidovec gold panners, as a souvenir honouring Matej Horvat and the traditional craft that has so far sparked a lot of interest from tourists.
The gold found in the rivers of Drava and Mura is otherwise known as the purest natural gold in the world. It has been panned in the Međimurje area since it was ruled by the Zrinski family. The community of Donji Vidovec is especially proud of a charter signed by empress Marija Terezija in 1776, granting them the right to work on the rivers Drava, Sava and Mura. Up until the beginning of World War II, 129 boats with 240 panners used to sail up and down the river Drava, searching for precious flecks washed downstream from the Alps. No one has ever made a fortune on gold panning in these parts, but the activity used to be a decent source of additional income for families dealing in agriculture.
