The works on the construction of the new Cycling Information Center with a lookout tower on the hill of Mađerka will be completed soon, reports HrTurizam.hr. The idea of the lookout tower came from the choice of a location that can present the natural beauties of upper Međimurje and its geographical position.
Mađerka is a hill above Štrigova, towards the border with Slovenia, at 341 meters above sea level, and only three meters lower than the highest point of Međimurje. The advantage of Mađerka is that you can see as many as four countries – Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia, and in good weather, you can see Sljeme.
Photo: Međimurje County
“With the desire to raise the entire tourist offer to an even higher level, to offer tourists top tourist content, the municipality of Štrigova in cooperation with Međimurje County has designed a project to build a lookout tower with the aim of being a visitor center, cycling resort and presentation/tasting center for the Međimurje Wine Road”, said Međimurje County Prefect Matija Posavec.
After its completion, which will give Međimurje another tourist destination, the final works in the new Cycling Information Center and its equipment will follow. At the location, visitors will have access to information about the tourist offer of the whole of Međimurje, and cyclists will have at their disposal a rest area equipped with a service station, adapted to e-bikes.
The new Cycling Information Center with a lookout tower is one of the components of the CycleSeeing Attractour – CSA project, co-financed from the cross-border program, implemented by the Municipality of Štrigova in partnership with the Tourist Board of Štrigova and the City of Nagykanisza.
“As there were no open tenders from national funds at that time, we applied for the cross-border program Interreg Croatia Hungary, and the project was assessed as very high quality and received the approval for co-financing of 85% of the total project value of 7,395,000 kuna,” Posavec added.
Photo: Međimurje Bike
In order to attract as many tourists as possible, not only for short-term visits but also for longer stays, three tourist packages have been designed – a bicycle package, a health and wellness package, and an eco-tourist package. These packages will contribute to making the project area a more attractive tourist destination, not just a transit one. Tourists will get acquainted with the newly built attractions, but also with the existing cultural and natural heritage of the destination.
“The project is in the development phase and we expect it can be completed by May this year. Terme Sveti Martin is close to Štrigova and all this is important for further development of the overall tourist offer of Međimurje, since I believe that it will awake the great interest of domestic and foreign guests, and will further present the beauties of Međimurje and develop continental tourism.”, explains Posavec.
The new Cycling Information Center with a lookout tower is located on Pušipel’s bicycle route. It is a circular trail that connects Štrigovo with Čakovec and passes through the wine-growing area of the county, so it is ideal for e-bikes.
Međimurje abounds in attractive and well-kept bicycle paths and is located at the crossroads of international bicycle routes. Recreational and fun cycling is ideal for family vacations, but also for socializing. Međimurje offers something for everyone, easier and more demanding sections, road and off-road routes, and there are also customized terrains for XTC and cross driving.
“We were the first in Croatia to introduce Cyclist Welcome Quality, a brand accepted by neighboring Varaždin and Zagreb counties, and applied in Hungary. Accommodation facilities are fundamental to the quality of the overall cycling offer of a destination and therefore their services are classified into five quality classes up to five gears”, emphasizes the director of the Tourist Board of Međimurje County, Rudi Grula and adds that in Međimurje, in addition to groomed trails, there are a number of equally arranged rest areas, charging stations for e-bikes and other facilities that attract cyclists from all over Europe.
The emphasis, as he says, is on foreign guests, but also those from nearby destinations from which they can come to Međimurje by bicycle, and the e-bicycles, which are becoming more and more popular in Europe. For example, guests from Graz, which is 70 to 90 kilometers away, can cross the section by e-bike in one day, and then cycle around Međimurje, neighboring counties, or cross to Slovenia and Hungary. Namely, the desire is to make Međimurje a kind of base in which cyclists would spend several days and explore the whole area.
”Our plan is to connect the Goričan Border Crossing with a bicycle path along the Trnava River, with Čakovec, and then Varaždin. The bicycle path would avoid road crossings and move along the river bank.”, Grula announced.
Cyclists aim not only to ride but also to rest, and such visitors are the target group of the tourist offer of Međimurje County. Ecological sustainability, reduction of carbon footprint, the offer of local producers… this is something that cyclists take special care of when choosing their holiday destination, and Međimurje is a region that can provide them with that.
If you want to learn more about everything Međimurje County has to offer on your next trip, be sure to check out Total Croatia’s guide, Međimurje in a Page.
For more, check out our travel section.
