Lendava

Name

The town is named after the Ledava River; the original nasal in the name of the river was lost in Slovene, but the n in the name of the town was preserved due to Hungarian influence. The former name of the town, Dolnja Lendava (literally, 'lower Lendava'), contrasted with that of Gornja Lendava (literally 'upper Lendava'). The name of the settlement was changed from Dolnja Lendava to Lendava in 1955.

History

Alsólendva was a district () of the Zala comitat in the Kingdom of Hungary until 1918. It was part of Hungary again from 1941 to 1945.

Jewish community

The first census of the population in the beginning of the 18th century mentions two Jewish merchants, and the following censuses showed an increasing Jewish population composed of merchants, innkeepers, distillers, mead producers, lawyers, and physicians. They played an important role in the economy of Lendava, owning a local hotel, a few pubs, and stores. Local Jews also started the first bank in Lendava. A Jewish school opened in 1850 and it was active until 1921. The last rabbi in Lendava was Mor Lowy.

The synagogue in Lendava is one of only two synagogues left in Slovenia.

Geography

Climate

The meteorological station is a climatic station and is one of 17 of its kind in the country. The station in Lendava is at an altitude of 190 m and is located on a sloping hillside. The surrounding area includes neighbouring houses with outbuildings, vineyards, trees, gardens and meadows. The station has been at this location since January 1962.

Lendava has a humid continental climate (Dfb) using the 0°C isotherm or an oceanic climate (Cfb) using the -3°C isotherm.

With an annual precipitation of 796 mm, Lendava is one of the driest towns in the country; in general this is true for the whole of Prekmurje.

Since records began, Lendava has had a White Christmas on 12 occasions: 1963, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2007. The thickest snow cover for a Christmas Day was in 1963 at 40 cm.{{Weatherbox | Jan record high C = 18.5 | Feb record high C = 22.3 | Mar record high C = 25.0 | Apr record high C = 29.3 | May record high C = 32.8 | Jun record high C = 35.5 | Jul record high C = 38.1 | Aug record high C = 38.2 | Sep record high C = 33.2 | Oct record high C = 27.7 | Nov record high C = 23.8 | Dec record high C = 21.0 | Jan record low C = -23.4 | Feb record low C = -23.8 | Mar record low C = -25.0 | Apr record low C = -4.5 | May record low C = -1.7 | Jun record low C = 2.4 | Jul record low C = 4.4 | Aug record low C = 4.4 | Sep record low C = -0.6 | Oct record low C = -7.9 | Nov record low C = -15.2 | Dec record low C = -21.3 | Jan snow depth cm = 13.93 | Feb snow depth cm = 14.74 | Mar snow depth cm = 9.04 | Apr snow depth cm = 2.0 | May snow depth cm = 0.0 | Jun snow depth cm = 0.0 | Jul snow depth cm = 0.0 | Aug snow depth cm = 0.0 | Sep snow depth cm = 0.0 | Oct snow depth cm = 0.0 | Nov snow depth cm = 9.19 | Dec snow depth cm = 10.92

Landmarks

Church

The parish church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Murska Sobota. There is also a Lutheran church in the town. It was built in 1931.

Castle

Lendava Castle is a former property of the Esterházy family. The mainly 18th-century building stands on a hill above the town centre and contains a museum and a gallery.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Lendava is twinned with:

• HUN Zalaegerszeg, Hungary

Sport

Petišovci Stadium is a purpose built motorcycle speedway stadium located east of Petišovci, off the Rudarska ulica. The facility hosts the Športno Društvo Lendava team and has been a significant venue for speedway hosting important events, including qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship.

References

References

1. "Naselje Lendava".
2. (2009). "Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen". Modrijan and Založba ZRC.
3. ''Spremembe naselij 1948–95''. 1996. Database. Ljubljana: Geografski inštitut ZRC SAZU, DZS.
4. Handbook of Austria and Lombardy-Venetia Cancellations on the Postage Stamp Issues 1850–1864, by Edwin Mueller, 1961.
5. [http://www.lendava.si/ Lendava municipal site]
6. [http://www.inv.si/psja/spomin/lendava.htm Jews of Lendava]
7. Nadbath, Mateja. (May 2018). "METEOROLOŠKA POSTAJA LENDAVSKE GORICE".
8. "meteo.si - Uradna vremenska napoved za Slovenijo - Državna meteorološka služba RS - Državna meteorološka služba".
9. [http://www.druzina.si/icd/spletnastran.nsf/all/00D25937AFA61157C12572030034F8AB?OpenDocument Družina RC Church in Slovenia site]
10. "Lendava Museum Gallery official site".
11. "Speedway stadion Petišovci - Petišovci".
12. "Športno Drustvo Spedway Team Lendava".
13. "World Championship".
14. "World Championship".