19.02.2026.
Official ceremony to mark the completion of the project to improve the visitor infrastructure worth over 300,000 euros was held at the central office of the Međimurje County Public Institution for Nature Conservation. The opening of the new hall at the visitor centre Med dvemi vodami (Between Two Rivers) was attended by state secretary Tanja Radić Lakoš, the prefect of Međimurje County, Matija Posavec, and advisor to the director of the Fund Ljiljana Bukovec."The project of improvement of the infrastructure for visitors included the renovation, extension and equipment of the Med dvemi vodami Centre, and the last phase was the setting up of a new multimedia hall that will be used for workshops with visitors and for research purposes. The project also included a number of activities, the costs of preparing project and technical documentation, as well as the execution of construction works and fitting out of the space,” said the director of the Međimurska Priroda Public Institution, Monika Cindrić, emphasising that was a new chapter in the development of the institution, and a place of knowledge and meeting of nature lovers. "The newly opened Kukuvija Hall is envisaged as a place where knowledge, experience, and curiosity would find a common language," said the director, thanking the prefect for appreciating the needs of the institution and monitoring its development, and all those who contributed to the completion of the project.
The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund co-financed the project with over 240 thousand euros in grants. Ljiljana Bukovec, advisor to the director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, praised the excellent cooperation with the Public Institution Međimurska Priroda, as well as accomplishments of Međimurje County in waste management and low-carbon development. "The results achieved here are not accidental: they are the result of systematic work and prevailing care of the environment live in," said Bukovec, adding that the Fund had established thriving cooperation with public institutions for the management of protected areas. "It fills us with special pride to watch how these locations develop and flourish with ideas and content, becoming places of meeting, learning and inspiration," concluded Bukovec.
Prefect Posavec pointed out that Međimurje truly lived sustainability in all its forms and that dedication to the preservation of natural resources was an integral part of the lifestyle: "If we look at the protected areas of the European Union, we can see all their diversity reflected in Međimurje, in this oasis of ours covering only 730 square kilometres. The greatest values of the Mura-Drava biosphere area and of the European network dedicated to the conservation of the Natura 2000 species converge in our home region," said the prefect, adding that the project marked a new step in nature conservation and would leave a token for the future.
The mayor of Mursko Središće, Dražen Srpak, emphasised the contribution of the county institution Međimurska Priroda to the quality of life in the community, because through education and nature protection, they were leaving a valuable legacy for our posterity. State secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Tanja Radić Lakoš said that every space, especially the one intended for the education of children, was an investment in the future, because in this way the guardianship of the values we inherited was passed on to new generations.
The event was also attended by numerous other guests - representatives of REDEA, county administrative departments, the town of Mursko Središće, municipalities, institutions, and tourist boards of Međimurje, the Board of Directors of Međimurska Priroda, and contractors.
The opening programme also included a performance by Čakovec High School vocal ensemble, and the story of the preservation of the native natural wealth was rounded off by the symbolic planting of an oak sapling.
Izvor: emedjimurje.net.hr
