Hungarian Community Centre

Lendava is a small town in the far north-east of Slovenia, in the region of Prekmurje, close to the borders with Hungary and Croatia, and it is the centre of Slovenia's Hungarian minority. The town is officially bilingual: Slovene and Hungarian are used side by side on signs, in schools and in public life, and cultural institutions of the Hungarian community play an active role in local affairs. The Hungarian Community Centre is the focus of that cultural life, a place where Hungarian language, music, dance and art are kept alive and shared with the wider public, and it reflects the long tradition of coexistence between the two peoples in this borderland.

The building is also of interest for its architecture. In Lendava, several buildings were designed by the Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz, a leading figure in the movement known as organic architecture. Makovecz, who lived from 1935 to 2011, rejected the rigid geometry of modernism in favour of forms inspired by nature and by folk traditions, and his buildings are known for their curving timber structures, steep, layered roofs, towers with sharp spires and symbolic shapes that recall the ribs of an animal, a flame or a tree. His work in Hungary includes churches, cultural centres and pavilions, and in Lendava, his designs give the town some of its most distinctive landmarks, notably the cultural centre and the monumental theatre. Visitors with an interest in architecture will find that the buildings are unlike anything else in Slovenia.

Inside, the centre hosts a calendar of cultural events, including concerts, exhibitions, theatre performances, folk festivals and meetings, many of them in Hungarian, with others in Slovene or both languages. There are programmes for children and young people to keep the language and customs alive, and groups for folk dance and choir singing, which perform at local festivals. Visitors who arrive at the right time may find a concert or an exhibition, and the staff can explain the events and the history of the community. The centre is a good place to learn about the Hungarian minority, whose presence in the area goes back many centuries, and whose cuisine, wine and customs are part of the local identity.

The centre lies within easy reach of other places of interest. The Lendava Castle Museum and Gallery stands on the hill above the town, the Vinarium Tower offers views over the borders, St Catherine Parish and the Lendava Cultural Center and St. Catherine's Church add religious and cultural interest, and the Monumental Theater is another Makovecz building. The surrounding hills have vineyards and wine cellars, and the plain offers cycling routes. Check programmes and opening hours before visiting.