Life on the water, by the water, with the water - coexistence of man and rivers in the Medimurje region.

This paper examines the level of everyday interactions between the population of the Medimurje region and the rivers in their immediate environment. Three traditional crafts of Medimurje which are closely associated with the rivers Mura and Drava - gold washing, milling and timber rafting - have continued until the second half of the 20th century. For example, in economic terms, people in the lower Medimurje have dealt with gold washing as an additional activity alongside agriculture; rafters were having a contractual relationship with the industrialists, while millers possessed their own mills and eventually became craftsmen. Although in many different segments, the link connecting these three activities is the river as a basic prerequisite for their work. Field research conducted through regular activities of the Museum of Medimurje in Cakovec obtained priceless testimonials of millers, gold washers and timber rafters, as well as people who shared their work and lifestyle. The study of this subject through critical reading of the literature dates back to the early modern period, i.e., to a time when the mentioned activities on rivers were for the first time recorded in the area of Medimurje. Using both of the above sources of data, which form the basis for the primary description of the mentioned activities, the article will be focused on the following questions: what was the attitude of the population towards the rivers, i.e., were they considered dangerous or not? How are rivers narrativized in oral tradition? Can we thus consider the attitude towards the environment? What is their role today through the prism of a growing (neoromantic) valuation of intangible heritage? By looking at the researched subject in this manner, the article discusses the methodology of research, evaluation and interpretation of gold washing, milling and lumber rafting in Medimurje.