page_title: Međimurje County
section_title: Language and education
hierarchical_section_title: Međimurje County / Language and education
caption_attribution_description: Hrvatski: sjeverozapani kajkavski (zagorsko-međimurski) i povezani dijalekti; na sjeveru gradišća srednječakavski obuhvaća i originalno kajkavske govore koji su kasnije (srednje)čakavizirani donjesutlanski je originalno kajkaviziran južnočakavski (većinom pod zagorsko-međimurskim utjecajem)
context_page_description: Međimurje County is a triangle-shaped county in the northernmost part of Croatia, roughly corresponding to the historical and geographical region of Međimurje. Despite being the smallest Croatian county by size, it is the most densely populated one. The county seat is Čakovec, which is also the largest city of the county.
  The county borders Slovenia in the north-west and Hungary in the east, with about 30 kilometers of Slovenian territory separating it from Austria. The south-eastern corner of the county is near the town of Legrad and the confluence of the Mura into the Drava. The closest cities include Varaždin, Koprivnica and Bjelovar in Croatia, Lendava, Murska Sobota and Maribor in Slovenia, as well as Nagykanizsa in Hungary and Graz in Austria. The Croatian capital of Zagreb is about 90 kilometers south-west of Čakovec.
  There are slopes of the Alpine foothills in the north-western part of the county, the Upper Međimurje, making it suitable for vineyards. The south-eastern part of the county, the Lower Međimurje, touches the flat Pannonian Plain.
context_section_description: The official language of Međimurje County, as in the whole of Croatia, is the Shtokavian dialect of Croatian. However, the local dialect is Kajkavian, which is commonly spoken and understood among the people native to the region. In Kajkavian there is a number of Hungarian and German loanwords, but the Međimurian Kajkavian dialect sees the strongest Hungarian and German influence. The Međimurian dialect forms dialect continuum to the Prekmurje dialect (Southern Dolinsko dialect near Lendava) and the dialect of Prlekija. The artists of the Međimurje seek to cultivate the local dialect, including Franjo Mesarić–Frenki writer and poet, and Vlado Mihaljević, writer, singer, cantor and searcher.
  Each municipality seat has an eight-year elementary school. However, there are also local schools in many smaller villages within each municipality, where the pupils can complete the first four years of their primary education. After that, they are moved to the main school of their municipality to complete the remaining four years, usually travelling to the school by a school bus.
  Čakovec has three eight-year elementary schools. There are also several high schools in Čakovec, including the Gymnasium and schools offering secondary education for jobs in technology, industry, transport, construction, economy and trade. The smaller city of Prelog also offers secondary education for jobs in catering, tourism and economy.
  The city of Čakovec also has two institutions of higher education – the Faculty of Teacher Education (Učiteljski fakultet) and the Polytechnic of Međimurje (Međimursko veleučilište). The Faculty of Teacher Education in Čakovec is part of the University of Zagreb.
caption: Distribution of the Northwestern Kajkavian dialect
exif: {}