River Mura and Ferry

The Mura River The plain south of Murska Sobota was formed by the Mura River’s alluvium. The river rises at the eastern edge of the High Tauern in the Eastern Alps, from where it flows eastward to Leoben and then turns southward. The Mura is the border river between Slovenia and Austria and then flows across the Slovene territory; from Gibina onwards it is the border river with Croatia, and it flows into the Drava near Legrad. The Mura is an alpine river whose upper basin extends over an area that underwent several glaciations in the past two millions years. Glacial erosion spread huge quantities of stone gravel in the mountain valleys, which the Mura then carried along. The stream’s flow rolled over pebble stones in its bed and deposited them on gravel banks, either in its bed or beside it. That is how along the river’s course in the wide plain between Slovenske gorice and Goričko vast gravel banks of erosion resitant rock were deposited, while the less erosion resistant rocks disintegrated into mineral grains during the transport. Flooding spread the water from the river-bed together with the mineral grains widely across the plains, covering most gravel areas with thin layers of sand, scree, and loam.
The river ‘s flora and fauna diversity, its dead arms, gravel deposits, and flooded forests, as well as the traditional cultural landscape along the Mura, make it into one of the richest ecosystems in Central Europe. Over 6,000 different plant species grow along it, the banks are overgrown with different herbal vegetation, the dead arms are home to the yellow water-lily (Nuphar luteum), greater bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris), arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia), frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae), and floating fern (Salvinia natans). Along the Mura 30 species of mammals live, 8 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians, 100 species of snails and shells, more than 1,000 species of beetles and butterflies, among them 30 species of dragonflies; 40 fish species have been established and 200 species of birds, who use the river for orientation during their migration.

River Mura and Ferry

Brod na Muri, Krog, Murska Sobota, Slovenija