Mura - Ceršak
Ceršak is a border settlement in the north of Slovenia which is situated on a slope south of the Mura River. Colloquially, the settlement is also called “Cirbek”, which comes from the German name for Ceršak (Zierberg), because it lies on a hill. Ceršak is named after the oak, which Slavs called “cer”.
Ceršak is a border settlement in the north of Slovenia which is situated on a slope south of the Mura River. Colloquially, the settlement is also called “Cirbek”, which comes from the German name for Ceršak (Zierberg), because it lies on a hill. Ceršak is named after the oak, which Slavs called “cer”.
CARDBOARD FACTORY
The life of the village and its development have been significantly influenced by the cardboard factory built 135 years ago (in 1888) from an earlier, simpler mill, which included a ford over the Mura. Affecting all areas of life, the Ceršak cardboard factory became the driving force of the town, and was regularly referred to as “the heart of Ceršak”.
The life of the village and its development have been significantly influenced by the cardboard factory built 135 years ago (in 1888) from an earlier, simpler mill, which included a ford over the Mura. Affecting all areas of life, the Ceršak cardboard factory became the driving force of the town, and was regularly referred to as “the heart of Ceršak”.
In the first years of operation, the factory employed about 40 men and 20 women from the surrounding Slovenian and Austrian towns; by 1930 it employed about 120 people, mostly locals from Ceršak and its surroundings, and at its peak (mid-1960s) it had about 400 employees. The factory has been in operation without long interruptions from its inception until today, with some short stoppages due to fires in 1903 and 1908 and the two World Wars. During World War II, the factory was still in operation, but the majority of the workforce was female. After each of these events the factory workers took part in the renovation work and quickly got the factory back on its feet.
Production of cardboard increased sharply between 1945 (220 tonnes), 1950 (2,200 tonnes) and 1970 (12,000 tonnes), when it reached its production peak. The raw materials – mainly wood – were originally obtained from the Pohorje mountains and later from other Slovenian forests. After the first reconstruction of the factory in 1963, when a process for recovering waste paper was introduced, mostly young people collected it, to be turned into cardboard in the factory. A second reconstruction followed in 1972, when the basic production of cardboard was fully automated.
In 1949, the authorities wanted to close the factory because of its location on the Mura River, its obsolescence and the wear and tear of its machinery and other equipment, but they failed because of the law on workers’ self-management that had just been passed (with the slogan, “Factories for the workers!”). Thus, in 1950, the factory passed into the hands of the workers, who in the following years repaired the machinery, renovated it and rebuilt the premises.
After Slovenia’s independence in 1991, the management of the factory was taken over by ZSMS (Zveza socialistične mladine Slovenije) and the production of cardboard slowly came to an end in the mid-1990s due to changes in the authorities. The old production machines literally fell apart and no major renovation of the factory was undertaken. Part of the factory is still in operation today, but since 2000 it has been a plant of the Paloma Factory from Sladki Vrh.
After Slovenia’s independence in 1991, the management of the factory was taken over by ZSMS (Zveza socialistične mladine Slovenije) and the production of cardboard slowly came to an end in the mid-1990s due to changes in the authorities. The old production machines literally fell apart and no major renovation of the factory was undertaken. Part of the factory is still in operation today, but since 2000 it has been a plant of the Paloma Factory from Sladki Vrh.
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT (HPP) in Ceršak
The small hydroelectric power plant is the only one on the Mura River in Slovenia and has been located next to the cardboard factory since 1890 to supply its needs. At that time, a 10.2 kW dynamo was connected to one of the water turbines to provide enough electricity to light the factory. Ceršak thus became the fifth place in Slovenia to have electric light.
The small hydroelectric power plant is the only one on the Mura River in Slovenia and has been located next to the cardboard factory since 1890 to supply its needs. At that time, a 10.2 kW dynamo was connected to one of the water turbines to provide enough electricity to light the factory. Ceršak thus became the fifth place in Slovenia to have electric light.
Between 1931 and 1932, a dam (Opov) was built across the Mura and the inlet channel was extended. This ensured a regular flow of water into the canal bed and thus provided enough water to power the generators that powered the electric motors of the cardboard machines. At the same time, the factory’s turbine building was being renovated and in 1936 it was planned to start generating electricity exclusively. Although the dam was badly damaged during WWII due to sabotage by retreating German troops, with the help of the brigades and the dedication of the factory’s workforce, it was rebuilt soon after the war. The HPP was also upgraded in 1955, when the factory solved the problem of motive power with a new turbine building (pictured).
The restored dam lasted in this form without any serious interventions until 1999, when the Mura River eroded the foundations and caused the central part to collapse. The factory management at the time decided to repair the dam by creating a “weir” out of rocks and sand, and simply demolished the sluice gate bridge.
Since 2005, the plant has been operated by Dravske elektrarne Maribor, which has carried out a thorough rehabilitation. Today, its annual output is 4.74 GWh.
Since 2005, the plant has been operated by Dravske elektrarne Maribor, which has carried out a thorough rehabilitation. Today, its annual output is 4.74 GWh.
HISTORY of CERŠAK
Even at the time of the collapse of feudalism in 1848, there were still many Slovenes living beyond the Mura, as demonstrated by the Slovene place names in contemporary Austria. As there was no border on the Mura, people lived in uninterrupted contact – economic, social and otherwise – and countless family ties were forged. This is still evidenced by the many Slovenian surnames in Austria and German surnames in this country.
In 1919, a provisional state border (demarcation line) was established along the Mura River between the Kingdom of SHS (Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) and German Austria. This meant a great change, especially in terms of trade, to which the population only gradually became accustomed (regular border guards and smuggling services were organised along the border). The establishment of the border on the Mura River cut off not only Ceršak, but also places as far away as Gornja Radgona.
Most of the inhabitants of Ceršak and its surroundings have always lived from working on the land, cultivating crops that are no longer grown today, such as flax, hemp, wheat, millet, buckwheat and poppy. Bread was baked at home and many farmers had their own simple mills along the stream that flows into the Mura near the factory. Moreover, there were many winegrowers (viničarji) in the area, a peasant proletariat without their own houses or land, who took care of the vineyards of the townspeople around Ceršak. In general, they were a disadvantaged and struggling class in terms of their social position and role in society. Yet, in fact, it was the viničar who, through their hard work, created the wealth and beauty of this geographical area (Slovenske gorice). With the establishment of the two factories at the end of the end of the 19th century, their social status improved.
In general, the factory contributed greatly to the modernisation of Ceršak in terms of infrastructure, both financially and through the hard work of the workers and inhabitants of the town; it helped with the electrification of Ceršak, it provided the water supply as a result of the construction of an aqueduct and it spurred the construction of roads, houses and apartment blocks, a school and cultural amenities. For example, the road from the Sladkogorska factory to Šentilj was asphalted in 1964, financed and actually implemented mainly by the two factories; in 1958 the factory collective supported the reconstruction of the old German school and equipped and trained it at its own expense; in 1973, with the growth of the population, a kindergarten was built in Ceršak with the financial support of the municipality and the factory, while in the ‘70s and ‘80s, a small hamlet near the factory grew into a housing settlement for its workers. Today around 800 people live in Ceršak.
The next short ethnographic video is a story about people’s entanglement or connection with the Mura River. It is told by Marija Dajčman, an 86-year-old woman who has lived in Novine (once part of Ceršak, now part of Šentilj) since the late 1950s, about her experiences and memories of life near the Mura River.
Many people who inhabit this region remember the murky colour and especially the foul smell of the Mura River in the past, caused by the dumping of industrial waste, especially in Austria, just across the border. Over the years, the smell of the Mura has changed, and today the locals say that it has even become emerald green. But once again, Ceršak residents are faced with a stench, but this time it comes from the Kogal composting plant in Ceršak, which processes biological waste and is located on an island in the Mura. There is a strong local citizens’ initiative demanding the closure of the composting plant (or fly farm, as it is locally called) because of the unbearable smell and profusion of insects, as well as a number of other negative impacts on drinking water sources and the ecological condition of the Mura River itself.
The largest composting plant in Slovenia, with more than 100,000 tonnes of waste, is located in an extremely sensitive environmental area, just a few metres from the bank of the Mura River channel. The plant is located in a protected biosphere area along the Mura River, which is a Natura 2000 site, but this was not taken into account by the authorities when granting the environmental permit. Thus, the composting plant poses a threat to the drinking water of residents along the river.
References:
– Šeško, Anton. 1974. »1888-1973. Petinosemdeset let tovarne lepenke Ceršak« Izdala: Tovarna lesovine in lepenke Ceršak, ob 85-letnici tovarne, ZGP Pomurski Tisk
– Marija Dajčman, personal interview
– Facebook group “Ceršak-Cirberg“
– Glasilo občine Šentilj
– Dravske elektrarne
– Civilna iniciativa proti kompostarni v Ceršaku
