Water wheels on floating barges used to be a common sight on the Mura, a river in Slovenia's east. By the end of the 20th centuries most had disappeared, but in one place, in Ižakovci in Prekmurje, they have brought this heritage back to life.

The local community built a floating mill on an island that the locals refer to as the Island of Love in 1999 according to original designs. It operated for two decades before it started sinking in 2019.

It underwent a series of repairs in the following years but by 2022 the barges started taking on water and it collapsed in on itself. Now, the mill has been lovingly restored along with a river ferry, and the water wheel is turning once again.

"The mill and the ferry are not only a symbol of the past but are key to sustainable tourism which unites history, nature and modern approaches," Beltinci Mayor Marko Virag said as the new mill was inaugurated on 25 October.

The two-year rebuilding effort cost €450,000 with the bulk of the funds coming from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. It was built as part of ReKult, a project to revive the river's cultural heritage.

The mill is part of a broader ethnographic complex on the Island of Love that also includes a museum dedicated to the büjraši, a Prekmurje word for professionals who used to work on the river reinforcing its banks to prevent erosion, and presentations of local handicrafts and cuisine.

The island's name is not a modern designation. It has been used by locals for centuries because this was a popular spot to swim, especially for young lovers.