Jeruzalem, the wine hamlet named after the Holy Land

Why is it called Jeruzalem?

Ljutomer municipality sets out several explanations and settles on the crusaders. In the 12th century, on their way to Jerusalem, they supposedly felt the power of the place and named it after the holy city. In the Middle Ages, Frederick of Ptuj granted the land as a fief to the Teutonic Order, which still owns the church. Another local legend adds to the story, about women who in 1664, the year of the Battle of Saint Gotthard, drove the Turks back on the slope called Babji klanec. I tell them as what they are, traditions, but they capture the feel of the place well.

The 1652 church

It’s Jeruzalem’s emblem. According to the municipality, it was built in 1652 to fulfil a vow by the lords of Gornja Radgona castle, the Drumpič couple, who swore to build it if they survived the plague. Where the high altar stands there was first a prayer tower and then a 13th-century chapel of the Teutonic Order, whose cross is still on the ceiling. The Pietà on the altar is a copy, as the original was stolen during building work, and it plays a trick with three faces worth looking at closely. There’s also a painting of St Urban, patron of vineyards, a St Anne’s chapel and an 18th-century organ.

Wine, the wine shop and the views

The heart of the hamlet is Jeruzalem manor, the tourist office, the wine shop stocking 35 growers and a souvenir shop. From the ridges, on a clear day, you can see Austria, Hungary and Croatia. In 2017, on World Tourism Day, the municipality’s first green window went up by the car park, a frame marking the best viewpoint over the terraces. The tourist board gives Jeruzalem and Ljutomer the silver Slovenia Green label.

What I like most about these hills is the klopotec, a four-bladed wooden rattle on a pole that scares birds off with its clatter. It goes up on 15 August and comes down at the end of the harvest, the brotva. Come during that stretch and the sound follows you all afternoon.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Jeruzalem for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Fitting it in

Jeruzalem takes half a day, ideally with lunch or a tasting. From here, Ormož and its castle lie to the south by the Drava, and Veržej with its floating mill to the north. All of it is part of Pomurje, and if Slovenian wine interests you, the guide to Slovenian wine gives the background.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Jeruzalem on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Jeruzalem for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.