About this journey

The journey begins at Varaždin station, the departure point for a route heading southeast through the Međimurje region toward the Hungarian border. Varaždin served as the capital of all of Croatia until April 1776, when a fire swept through the city, destroying more than half of its 614 homes and prompting a rebuilding in brick that shaped the baroque streetscape the city retains today. In 2023, Varaždin became the first Croatian city to receive UNESCO Creative City status, in the field of music.

The HŽPP 7022 diesel multiple unit runs southeast, passing through the agricultural lowlands of northern Croatia toward the Mura River valley. The line arrives at Kotoriba station, which holds a distinction unusual for a small settlement near the Hungarian border: it is the site of the oldest railway station in present-day Croatia, opened on 24 April 1860. Kotoriba lies in the southeastern part of Međimurje County, approximately 36 kilometres southeast of Čakovec, close to the Mura River and the border with Hungary. The journey moves between two points of quiet historical weight — a baroque former capital reborn from fire, and a border-country station that predates Croatian railways almost everywhere else.