Ormož (; in older sources , hu, Ormosd, german: Friedau, Prekmurje Slovene: ''Ormošd'') is a town in the traditional region of

Prlekija Prlekija is a region in northeastern Slovenia between the Drava and Mura rivers. It comprises the eastern part of the Slovene Hills ( sl, Slovenske gorice), stretching from the border with Austria to the border with Croatia. It is part of the tra ...

, part of Styria, in northeastern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. It lies on the left bank of the

Drava River The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...

and borders with

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

on the opposite bank of the river. It is the administrative seat of the

Municipality of Ormož The Municipality of Ormož (; sl, Občina Ormož) is a municipality in the traditional region of Styria in northeastern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Ormož. Ormož became a municipality in 1994. Geography The municipa ...

Name

Ormož was attested in written records in 1273 as ''Holermůs'' (and as ''Holrmues'' in 1299 and ''Holrmůs'' in 1320). The name is based on the Latinized name ''Alramus'', borrowed from Germanic ''Alram'' (< *''Aþala-hraban'', literally 'noble ravan'). The person designated by the name is uncertain, but a possible namesake is Salzburg Bishop A(da)lram (reigned 821–836) because the Ormož area became the property of the Archbishopric of Salzburg in the ninth century.

History

The settlement received market rights in 1293 and town rights in 1331, and it was predominantly know under its German name, ''Friedau''. Until 1919, the population was predominantly German; the census of 1900 mentioned 892 inhabitants, with German as the predominant spoken language (593) followed by Slovenian (227).

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the town is dedicated to Saint James. It was first mentioned in written sources dated to 1271. It was rebuilt on a number of occasions in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It contains frescos from the 14th and 17th centuries.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number 3108

Notable natives and residents

* Ivan Geršak (1838–1911), notary public, president of several local societies, national awakener, politician, writer, and advocate of Slovene * (1905–1975), writer, journalist, editor, clerical political activist * (1790–1844), historian, writer, poet *

Antun Vramec Antun (or Anton, also spelled Antol) Vramec (1538–1587/8) was a Croatian priest and writer. He wrote the first historical book in Slovene. As it was the second book written in the Kajkavian dialect, he was also a founder of the Kajkavian litera ...

(1538–1587/8), historian, writer * Countess Maria Irma Wurmbrand-Georgievich (1886–1970), last owner of Ormož Castle * Baron Guido Georgievich

References

External links