Travelling to and from Prekmurje from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Centuries

King Ladislas I (‘the Holy’) incorporated the territory of Prekmurje into the state and legal framework of the Hungarian crown. It thus became a border zone at the meeting point of two large states, which since the first half of the sixteenth century had the same ruler. Already during the late Middle Ages the most important traffic routes in the north-western Pannonian basin led through the Prekmurje plain and through neighbouring Medmurje/Međimurje. The intent of this paper is to emphasise one of the more important determinants of space, i.e. its transit role during the period encompassing the sixteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century. A brief review of the history and descriptions of the regional and local road networks and hospitality establishments is followed by an overview of the many forms of traffic and arrivals in Prekmurje. Based on the style of the most recent monographs on travel and traffic—e.g. those by L. Čoralić and M. Kos—there is a discussion of the possible regions for travel to and from the region. The author cities military reasons, threats and war, migrations (especially of refugees), official, business and private travel, and backs his arguments with a number of illustrative examples from the sources and literature. The paper presents three official trips from the town of Donja Lendava to Trieste and back in 1763. Primary conclusion: Prekmurje was very threatened during this period, but despite that it recorded a great deal of transit and different types of new settlers frequently came here to live.