On Saturday, 28 March 2026, a music-humanistic performance took place at the Museum of Madness at Cmurek Castle in Trate, attracting more than one hundred visitors and successfully opening the new museum season.
Cmurek Castle, built in the 12th century along the Mura River, today inspires the exploration of a shared European past with its rich and dynamic history. At the same time, it represents a place of connection for a cross-border community united by an interest in cultural heritage and a desire to build friendly and neighbourly ties. Precisely this connection beyond borders, reflection on stereotypes, and the overcoming of prejudice form the starting points of the European project MurA – KulturA, which already unites the Slovenian and German languages in its title.
The event began with a guided tour of the Museum of Madness, where experienced guides Barbara Kotnik and Boris Bezjak introduced visitors to the importance of preserving the cultural and natural values of the Cmurek Castle area. The tour led visitors from 25-million-year-old fossils from the Miocene Sea, through the castle rooms, all the way to the premises of the former institution for people with mental and neurological illnesses. The experience left no one indifferent – the castle, once a neglected cultural monument, today once again inspires and connects people from near and far.
In the central museum hall, named after Terezija Mostler, one of the first Slovenian female photographers, a music-philosophical performance followed. Philosopher Magdalena Germek invited visitors to reflect on the concept of madness, spaces of confinement, borders, and the complex heritage carried by Cmurek Castle, while emphasising the importance of the community forming around it. Language barriers were bridged by translator Sebastian Walcher, while the musical part of the evening was co-created by Vasko Atanasovski, the choir of Pavel Haus from Laafeld (Austria) conducted by Matija Horvat, and Mejnik from Šentilj conducted by Eva Goričanec. The event was hosted and moderated by Staša Prah.
The cultural evening continued in a relaxed and connecting atmosphere. In pleasant company, the participants formed a circle and continued singing together late into the evening.
With events like this, the organisers fulfil their mission – in a time of growing uncertainty and divisions among people, they create spaces for meeting, dialogue, and connection. The continuation of the event took place on 11 April 2026 at Pavel Haus in Laafeld (Austria), which we reached from Cmurek by bus.
The project is co-financed within the framework of the Interreg Slovenia–Austria programme.
