A leap into the past

There are no finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages, so it is questionable whether the area was inhabited at all. It is possible that the inhabitants moved elsewhere (to more hidden places in the central Slovenske gorice, or to the Austrian hills, to Italy). Climate changes and the immigration of nations from Central Asia, the North (Illyrians), who built burial mounds (in the area of ​​today's cemetery in Križevci) are among the causes of migration.

When the settlement at Gradišče in Križevci ceased to exist, this meant the end of the population of the Ljutomer region at that time, as there are no traces of either the inhabitants of an earlier era or the Celts, who arrived around 500 BC. n. no. invaded these places and subjugated the Illyrians (the period of the Celtic or Latin culture). There are no finds typical of the 1st period of the Iron Age on the Mursko polje and its surroundings - large mounds with rich graves or hillforts. Slovenian Pomurje has been around since the middle of the 1st millennium BC. n. no. lost its transitory meaning. Maybe because of the sparseness of the population, the overly exposed location or because of the flooding of the Mura River. It became more important after the Roman settlement around 15 BC. n. no. during the period of the Roman Empire, especially with the establishment of the Roman province of Pannonia. At that time, people settled along the main traffic routes. These were not Roman colonists, but the native population who had wooden dwellings. Not much of this remains, but there are many graves left in mounds in the woods (Dobrava, Iljaševci, Logarovci, in the Ljutomer region near Cezanjevci, Gresovščak, Kamenščak, Mekotnjak and Pršetinci) and traces of the names of "Mounds" near Bučečovci, Lukavci and between Iljaševci and Verže (also on Cven). (Pahič, 1971)

Later, Slavic tribes penetrated us and settled in cultivated areas. In contrast to previous peoples, they buried their dead in the ruins of ancient buildings. Their legacy was graves with skeletons and remains in place names. In the early Middle Ages, the extremely low population of the Ljutomer district was partly to blame for the German church organization, which did not establish any parishes here.

Many churches were built later during the time of Prince Pribina, who got the territory of the Mursko polje around 840, and was succeeded by his son Kocelj. Between the years 896 and 900 and until 955, the Avars ravaged them, until they were defeated by the Frankish king Charlemagne. This was followed by the secondary colonization of the Slovenes (second half of the 12th and 13th centuries), which left behind characteristic local names with the suffixes -ci or -ovci, land division (fields in straight parts, lumpy parts), cimpranes and crowded homes in line, corner or in the shape of a key, the shape of the settlements (round, roadside villages and scattered settlements and hamlets), the remains of shooting castles, which were already in the 11th century. began to build to defend the province against the Hungarians. (Pannonski zbornik, 1966) From the 11th century. is a well-known noble family of the Spannheims, whose estates were spread throughout the Lavanska and Drava valleys. They pushed the Hungarians back so that they could expand further towards the Mura. They are the founders of the Benedictine monastery (1090) in the Labotska dolina. In order to restore Christianity, they began to settle people in this area and establish churches. (Kovačić, 1926)

In the years 1265 and 1267, the Krizevci are mentioned as Chreuz in the Otokar Land Duke's Urbar. They had a Romanesque church built by Benedictines. Later it is in the 13th century. part of the territory, west of the Mura, belonged to the German state. The parish of Križev originally belonged to the parish of Radgon, and the patronage (vogtija) over it was given to the manor of Bran. The parish was first mentioned in 1443 as "phar zum Heiligen Krewcz". (Slekovec, in: Vrbnjak, 2000)

In 1445, it included 21 villages and 375 houses. In 1497, the first pastor in the parish of St. Cross on the Murské polje - Papst Pavel. (Kovačič, 1926) Since 1529, the plague ravaged these places, and people erected crosses and chapels to commemorate the horrors. (Slekovec, in: Vrbnjak, 2000) Towards the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century. the Turks invaded again. They terrorized everyone from 1531, 1562 and 1640 and destroyed everything they could get their hands on. In 1605, a great flood hit the population and further impoverished them. Around the year 1683 and at the beginning of the 18th century, the Kruci, Hungarian farmers, joined the Turks due to dissatisfaction with the manors. They had a red cross attached. The population of the Murské polje was also marked by locusts, which ate all the crops in the fields and meadows. (Slekovec, in: Vrbnjak, 2000) Witchcraft was active in the 17th century. (Kovačič, 1926) All these disasters greatly diluted the population. Because of the records of the number of inhabitants, in 1669 the pastor Dr. Ivan Jurij Žurman to write the baptismal and birth register. According to his records, in 1672 there were 2,307 people in the parish. (Vrbnjak, 2000)

In the 19th century, more precisely until 1848, the villages of the Križevka parish were subject to the following manors: Branek (Križevci, Vučja vas, Kljucharovci, Logarovci (partly), Lukavška manors (Lukavci, Grabe, Logarovci (partly), Gornji Radgoni (Kokoriči) , Upper Radgon lower manors - Schachenthurn (Bučečovci), Negova (Iljaševci (partly), Ormož (Iljaševci (partly) and Freiberg pri Gleisdorfu (Stara Nova vas)). (Kovačič, 1926) In 1868, due to dissatisfaction, there was an uprising of the popular masses - 10 . in April, the farmers rebelled and attacked the manor house in Lukavci (a similar thing happened in Ljutomer and Branek). Until the second half of the 19th century, the following places belonged to the parish of St. Cross on the Mursko polje: Hrastje Mota (Hrastje, Mota), Vučja village (Vučja ves), Stara Nova vas (Stara and Nova ves), Iljaševci (Ilijaševci), Bunčani, Banovci, Grlava (Gerlava), Kristanci, Šalinci, Lukavci (Lokavci), Ključarovci, Boreci, Grabe, Logarovci, Gajševci ), Kokoriči, Križevci (Veliki and Mali Križevci), Bučeč ovci, Murski vrh, Zasadi, Hrašenski and Rački vrh and Veržej square. The latter split off in 1863 and became an independent parish, in the same year also Hrašenski and Rački vrh, which were attached to the Kapelska parish. (Slekovec, in: Vrbnjak, 2000) Towards the end of the 19th century, there were several municipalities in this area: Vučja vas, Bučečovci, Stara Nova vas, Iljaševci, Križevci, Boreci, Ključarovci, Logarovci and Lukavci. Bunčani, Grlava, Banovci, Krištanci and Šalinci also belonged to these municipalities. There were many small municipalities even before the First World War, namely the independent municipalities of the following settlements: Boreci, Grlava, Iljaševci, Krištanci, Križevci, Kljucharovci, Logarovci, Lukavci, Stara Nova vas and Vučja vas.

During World War II (1941-1945), this area was called Gemeinde Wernsee in Kreuzdorf (Veržej Municipality in Križevci) and was one of the 11 political municipalities that fell under the political district for Ljutomer. In 1941, there was also a gun station in Križevci, where gunmen (there were 3 to 5 of them) took care of order and peace. (Prlekija, 1987) After liberation, local people's offices were formed first, followed by municipal people's committees. In 1978, the local communities of Berkovci and Logarovci merged into the local community of Logarovci-Berkovci, from which the village of Bolehnečici separated in 1994 and joined the municipality of Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnica. (Elaborat, 1997) Before Križevci became an independent municipality, they were formed as an area with three local offices (Križevci pri Ljutomer, Logarovci-Berkovci and Grlava-Krištanci-Šalinci), which belonged to the Municipality of Ljutomer. (Elaborat, 1997)

The municipality regained its independence in 1999. It includes 16 settlements, while the settlements of Grlava, Krištanci and Šalinci belonged to the Municipality of Ljutomer.