Lendava, a town of a castle and a synagogue

Things to do in Lendava: the castle and Gallery-Museum

The castle first appears in the annals in 1192, but it only took on its present form in the 18th century, according to the Slovenian museums network. Since 1973 it has housed the Lendava Gallery-Museum, with the town’s art heritage, works from international art colonies and a permanent archaeological, historical and ethnological display. There’s also a memorial room for György Zala, Lendava’s most famous sculptor. On the main street, the Gallery-Museum runs a small outpost on the town’s middle classes, printing and umbrella making.

Lendava’s synagogue

The Gallery-Museum describes a population that was very varied in nationality and religion, and says Jews began settling here from the later 18th century, working as merchants, craftsmen, doctors and savings bank founders. The synagogue was begun in 1866 and is one of two left in Slovenia. It’s a simple two-storey building on an almost square plan, with a pyramid roof, 80 seats for men and 60 for women in the gallery. Of the original fittings only the clock survives.

It was used for worship until 1944, when the community was deported to Auschwitz. After decades of decay it was restored in the 1990s and now hosts exhibitions and events, including a permanent display on the Jews of Lendava. At Dolga vas lies the Jewish cemetery, which the Gallery-Museum calls the only undamaged one in Prekmurje, with every tombstone facing Jerusalem.

The Vinarium tower, vineyards and spa

Above the town rise the vine-covered hills, dotted with the small wine cottages known as zidanice. Up there is the Vinarium tower, with views over Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Austria. RTV Slovenia recalls that small amounts of oil were found around Lendava, which led prospectors to drill at Moravske Toplice. At Terme Lendava, the tourist board describes green paraffin thermal water, and for food the same board points to Bogračfest, the town’s gastronomy festival.

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Lendava, a town with two names

SURS gives Lendava 2,826 residents and its municipality 10,088 on 1 January 2026. It recorded 32,592 arrivals in 2025. The Gallery-Museum uses the Hungarian name Lendva alongside the Slovenian one and notes that the town was called Dolnja Lendava until 1955. It holds bronze status in the Slovenia Green scheme, says the tourist board.

How long to give Lendava, and what’s close by

I’d spend one night here to see the town at an easy pace and climb the tower at sunset. From Lendava, Murska Sobota and the Moravske Toplice spas are close by, to carry on round Pomurje.

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

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