Spa village Banovci
The village of Banovci is situated on flat land between the Mura river and the vineyard hills known as the »slovenske gorice«. The region calls it self Prlekija. Banovci, thanks to the Pannonian climate (moderate rainfall, hot summers but only moderately cold winters), enjoys good conditions for agriculture, which employs some 54% of the active population. The rest are mostly employed in nearby Ljutomer and Murska Sobota. In recent years there has been a huge improvement in the service industries, especially hotels and restaurants, and health tourism.
The settlement is primarily known for its thermal spa, which is a popular destination for both domestic and foreign visitors. The 1,350 m deep borehole provides water at a temperature of 40–42°C, and supplies three open-air pools and one indoor swimming pool. Banovci Spa, which opened in 1973, is well known as the first thermal nudist camp in Europe.
The nearest town, Ljutomer, is only 5 minutes away by car and has all the necessary infrastructure and amenities (banks, schools, post office, government offices, shops, medical service, etc.).
The Mura, known as a destination for water sports and camping, is about 3 km away, and beautiful vineyards with guest houses and walking trails are just 8 km away. Other tourist sites, such as the Goričko National Park, with its protected natural and cultural heritage, are about 30 minutes away by car.
There are many other thermal spa facilities in the region, such as Terme 3000 and Bio Terme Mala Nedelja. Road communication is excellent: the motorway network is only 5 km away from the village, and the recently modernized electrified railway runs close to this new development, not to mention the major international airports at Graz, Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb. To visit the Adriatic coast takes about four hours’ driving.
