Local trains run on the Čakovec–Kotoriba line, which stops at villages including Mala Subotica, Donji Kraljevec and Goričan on the way. By car, Kotoriba is in the far northeast of Međimurje County near the Mura and the Hungarian border. Check current timetables with Croatian Railways (HŽ Putnički prijevoz) before travelling, since service on the line is local and commuter traffic.

CC BY 2.0 • Photo by Jon Worth from Germany via Wikimedia Commons

Kotoriba Railway Station

Q: Why is Kotoriba station important?

It stands on the first railway line built on the territory of present-day Croatia. The Čakovec–Kotoriba section opened on 24 April 1860 as part of the line from Nagykanizsa to Pragersko, which linked Budapest with the Vienna–Trieste railway. Only three stations were built on the Croatian section in 1860: Čakovec, Donji Kraljevec and Kotoriba. Zagreb got its first station two years later.

Q: Can I visit the station buildings?

Kotoriba is a working station of Croatian Railways, so the platforms and waiting area are open to passengers. The other buildings, including the goods warehouse, customs building and shunting house, are railway property and not open as a museum. Photograph the station from public areas and stay off the tracks. Ask staff before entering any working area.

Q: Has the line changed since 1860?

Yes. The original 153-metre bridge over the Mura near Kotoriba was blown up in 1941 and replaced before the end of the war. Between 2020 and 2024 the whole section from Čakovec to Kotoriba was reconstructed with new track, platforms, level crossings and shelters, and the maximum speed rose to 100 km/h. The line is still single-track and not electrified.

Q: What else is there in Kotoriba?

The village has the parish church of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross, and its old school building of 1860 is described as the oldest school in Međimurje. Kotoriba lies on the left bank of the Mura, within sight of Hungary, and its history as a river and border crossing ties in directly with the story of the railway.

Terminus of Croatia's first railway line, opened on 24 April 1860

Where: Kotoriba, Međimurje
Directions: Directions

Kotoriba railway station marks the start of rail travel in Croatia. On 24 April 1860 the line from Kotoriba through Čakovec towards Pragersko was opened, and regular traffic began on 1 May with two pairs of mixed passenger and goods trains a day. It was the first railway built on the territory of present-day Croatia, and Zagreb received its first station two years later.

The line was not built for Croatia at all. The Southern Railway company, the Imperial and Royal Privileged Society of Southern Railways, started work in late 1857 on a route from Nagykanizsa in Hungary to Pragersko in Slovenia, so that Budapest could be linked to the existing main line between Vienna and Trieste. Its path happened to cross Međimurje. On the Croatian section only three stations were built: Čakovec, Donji Kraljevec and Kotoriba. The largest structure on the route was a 153-metre bridge over the Mura near Kotoriba. That bridge was blown up in 1941, and a replacement was built before the end of the Second World War.

Kotoriba is now the last station of Croatian Railways before the Hungarian border. Trains from the interior end here, and international trains pass through towards Murakeresztúr. The station complex still includes a reception building, a goods warehouse, a customs and forwarding building, staff housing and a shunting house, spread along a yard of sixteen tracks. Between 2020 and 2024 the whole section between Čakovec and Kotoriba was rebuilt, with new track, platforms, level crossings and shelters, and line speed raised to 100 km/h. The line remains single-track and non-electrified.

The village of Kotoriba, with about 3,200 people, lies on the left bank of the Mura in the far northeast of Međimurje, and its history has always been that of a crossing point between Croatia and Hungary. The station is a working railway, not a museum, but it is where Croatian railway history begins. Railway enthusiasts will find the trip worthwhile, and so will travellers in Međimurje curious about the region's place between Vienna, Budapest and the Adriatic. The simplest way to see it is to arrive the way the first passengers did: on the local train from Čakovec.