The effect of the Second World War on Maribor can be seen in a number of ways. Most generally it’s true to say that the development south of the Drava is post war, that part of the city having sustained heavy damage, so there you’ll…Read More

The effect of the Second World War on Maribor can be seen in a number of ways. Most generally it’s true to say that the development south of the Drava is post war, that part of the city having sustained heavy damage, so there you’ll find more apartment blocks and the newer industrial areas. Sadly Maribor’s old town, the Lent district on the northern side of the Drava is much smaller because that area sustained some damage too. By the end of the war Maribor was the most bombed city in Yugoslavia.

Maribor was occupied by the Germans from 1941 to May 1945. Adolf Hitler famously said when he visited Maribor in 1941 "Make all this German again". Many photographs exist of this visit, and the reception held for him in Maribor Castle, and some can be seen in the National Liberation Museum in the town centre.

When I think of Maribor and the Second World War I think of it in two ways. One is how Slovenia, as part of a greater Yugoslavia, helped defeat the Germans; the other how the partisans, led by Josip Brozs ‘Tito’, paved the way for a socialist Yugoslavia.

Like many eastern bloc (though I maintain, as do most Slovenes I know that this is most definitely central Europe) cities, Maribor has a Freedom Square (in Slovene Trg Svobode). It’s used as a venue for events like fairs and concerts and at its southern edge there’s a curious sculpture known locally as ‘Kodjak’ because it’s domed top resembles a certain television detective. Officially it’s known as the ‘National Liberation Monument’. From a distance the monument looks odd but hardly special; get closer, however, and you will see the faces of some of the heroes of the liberation of Yugoslavia on the panels between the thick iron sections. You can also see copies of documents proclaiming the shooting of hostages (there were over 600 altogether) as well as part of a farewell letter written by one of them, Joze Fluks. (There’s another memorial to these people on the wall at the back of the old prison courtyard on Sodna Ulica on the approach to the Tito Bridge. There the names of those killed are engraved on granite plaques.)

Trg Borisa Kidrica commemorates one of Tito’s right hand men. Boris Kidric became leaser of the Slovenian Communist Party in 1937 and was instrumental in planning the Partisan struggle during the Second World War. After the war he held the post of Yugoslav Finance Minister until 1953. A stark monument on the square depicts a relief of his face, held up on a block by abstract figures.

Our next port of call is in the Melje district, a little further away but walkable if you have fifteen minutes to spare. At the eastern end of Partizanska, cross over and walk under the railway bridge and then the motorway flyover. Keep walking and at Kremplova ulica take a left and keep walking until you come to some warehouse buildings. This was Stalag 306, camp for prisoners during captured in Crete; most of those held here were from Britain or the Commonwealth. At its peak there were 4,500 prisoners. At the eastern end of the first row of buildings there’s a modest memorial to those who died here. Stalag 306 opened in 1941 and was in operation until the end of the war. While it was being built about one thousand prisoners lived in tents at the site.

As we’ve explored Maribor and its outskirts we’ve continued to find these little reminders of the War. While lost (though we wouldn’t admit it) on a cycle ride one day a few miles south of Maribor near Race, we heard the rumble of a train and knew that following the path by the railway track would guide us home. We must have taken a train on this line forty of fifty times over the last few years but only with the more genteel speed of a bicycle did we spot a red star peeking out between the trees. A sign marks the site of a camp where partisan soldiers once hid out in the woods, planning their next moves.

It’s not exactly clear when Jewish people first settled in what is now Slovenia but it is known that there were certainly Jewish villages in the Eastern Alps area in the 11th century. The numbers reached their peak in the nineteenth century but in the early 20th century the Jews of Prekmurje, to the east of Maribor, were the most important and influential of the Jewish communities within Slovenia. Very few Slovenian Jews survived the concentration camps; a few returned immediately after the war but left again, feeling forced out by the policies of the post-war regime. Maribor’s synagogue, on the north bank of the Drava still exists but is now an important arts venue.
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Being rectangular, Trg Generalna Maistra is one of Maribor’s more conventional squares, though thanks to the effect of changes to Maribor’s traffic system, it’s often mistaken for an extension of nearby Trg Svobode . It’s easy to find, just behind the castle and Partizanska Cesta.…Read More

Being rectangular, Trg Generalna Maistra is one of Maribor’s more conventional squares, though thanks to the effect of changes to Maribor’s traffic system, it’s often mistaken for an extension of nearby Trg Svobode . It’s easy to find, just behind the castle and Partizanska Cesta. Cross Trg Svobode, and climb the short flight of stairs just beside Vinag Wine Cellars; then cross the road, making sure not to step in front of one of the many tourist coaches that drop off their passengers on the southern side of Trg Generalna Maistra
Lined with handsome neo-renaissance buildings and with lawns, a fountain and sculptures in the centre this is a rather grand square. It’s a popular place for people to eat lunch on sunny days, or just to have a rest and watch the world go by. It’s also popular with students from the nearby university buildings but Slovenian teens tend to be better behaved than their British counterparts and the generations co-exist peacefully.

The square got its current name in 1987 when, with the installation of a statue of General Rudolf Maister, it was re-named. Born in 1874, Maister was a Slovene military officer and poet but it was as a political activist that he is most celebrated. He was a soldier by profession and reached the rank of Major in 1917. In 1918, near the end of the First World War when it looked like the Austro-Hungarian Empire was close to being beaten, Maribor’s city council declared the town annexed with Austria. Maister mustered some 4,000 Slovene volunteer soldiers and 200 officers and seized control of Maribor and the Lower Styria region. The Slovene National Council for Lower Styria made him a general for his efforts. While he might be seen as a hero for this deed, controversy followed in 1919 when, it is alleged, he ordered Slovene troops to fire on members of the Austrian minority who were awaiting the arrival of the American peace delegation. Nine Austrians were killed and twice that number was injured. It has never been established for certain whether Maister gave the order to shoot though there were Austrian witnesses who said the order with given with no provocation, while Slovene witnesses to the event maintained that some Austrians from a paramilitary organisation attacked Slovene soldiers guarding the town hall.

A statue of Maister wearing his military great-coat stands on the lawn in the middle of the square. (Another statue of General Maister, this time on his horse, can be seen opposite the main train station in Ljubljana)Beside the statue there is a linden tree which was planted to commemorate Slovenia’s declaration of independence in 1991. Buried in the ground next to this is a bottle containing a document which explains this. The linden is the national tree of Slovenia and it is said that when Slovenians living outside the country see a linden, it makes them think of home.

Also on the square is a monument to Anton Tomsic, a journalist. It’s a simple stone obelisk, a design that is not uncommon in Slovenia (and around the countries of the former Yugoslavia). He was born in 1842 and died in 1871. He is celebrated as the first professional Slovene journalist and chief editor of the first Slovene newspaper ‘Slovenian Nation’. The paper was first published in 1868 in Maribor. The enterprise was beset with financial problems and Tomsic did much of the work himself at first. Later he was able to take on an assistant and close to the monument to Tomsic there is a statue of Josip Jurcic (1844 - 1881) who took over as editor when Tomsic died.

The First Grammar School is the most striking of those buildings around the square; it’s a three storey neo-renaissance building with an imposing entrance comprising three identical arches. It was built by Wilhelm Bucher in 1871-1873. Another handsome building is the municipality building on Ulica Heroja Staneta which is of neo-Baroque design and was built in 1911.

If you are sightseeing in Maribor you’ll come upon Trg Generalna Maister without having to go out of your way. To get from Partizansa Cesta, the main thoroughfare, to Mestni Park, the town park, most pedestrians pass through this square.
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In Maribor Lent is the name of the city’s historic old quarter on the northern bank of the Drava, and a two week arts festival held every year around the end of May/beginning of June, of which the majority of events are held in that…Read More

In Maribor Lent is the name of the city’s historic old quarter on the northern bank of the Drava, and a two week arts festival held every year around the end of May/beginning of June, of which the majority of events are held in that part of the city. Many of Maribor’s oldest buildings were either lost or extensively damaged in World War Two so the historic quarter is quite small but gradually the buildings that can be restored are getting a new lease of life.

Lent covers an area between the Stari most (the old bridge) and the new market place about half a mile to the west along the Drava and from the river to Koroska cesta and Glavni trg. The best know attraction is the celebrated "Stara Trta" – the old vine (see my review in this journal) which is claimed to be, at over four hundred years old, the world’s oldest. The house on which the vine grows is also an outpost of the Maribor tourist information office and plays host to regular exhibitions on different aspects of Maribor history and Stajerska life. There are also frequent wine tasting events held here in the House of the Old Vine, as it is known.

Apart from a small handful of bars and clubs, you’ll find the Maribor pub scene very democratic with a mixed crowd at most of the cafes along the river front and on the little pedestrian lane that runs from the bottom of the stairs that drop down by the old casino building on the northern end of the Stari Most (the Old Bridge). Verdi (look for the sign with the three rats) does reasonable pizzas while Gril Ranca is the place to go for cevapcici and pljeskavica – nothing else is sold here.

Lent is slowly being regenerated but there are still many buildings in a poor state of repair. This part of town should be buzzing with gallery spaces and organic cafes but progress is slow. Some of the buildings look a bit run down but are actually used for events such as the international arts festival, also called Lent and held here at various locations on the north bank of the Drava over two weeks every year in May/June. Likewise there are a number of bars known as "Lent bars" which operate only during those two weeks.

A few buildings such as the old water tower and the Jews Tower have been fully restored and serve a number of purposes. The water tower is a part time wine bar and is an excellent place to try some of the finest wines produced in this part of the country. This sixteenth century tower was built to resist Turkish raiders. Just across the road, looking down on the water tower is the Jews Tower. At the other end of Lent is the circular Judgment Tower (Sodni stolp) dating from the 14th century. It was here that sentences were passed down to women found guilty of witchcraft.

Behind the Judgment Tower, looking onto the old marketplace is the Minorite Monastery and the Church of Mary’s Assumption. The monastery, built in the thirteenth century pre-dates the church. In 1747 people started to make pilgrimages to this church to see its statue of Mary but Emperor Joseph II abolished the monastery in the 1780s and the building was used instead as a military barracks, a purpose it retained until the late 1920s. In 2010 the Maribor Puppet Theatre moved into redeveloped building of the monastery giving it a much needed new lease of life.

The oldest streets in Lent formed the ‘Jewish ghetto’; Dravska ulica, Usnjarska ulica (the name means Leather Street – this was where Maribor’s renowned leather workers were situated) and Ključavničarska ulica (Locksmiths’ Street) are wonderful narrow lanes where you can lean from the windows and shake hands with the people across the way.

It is sad that Maribor lost so much of its old town as a result of the Second World War, even more so that it was not better protected in the years thereafter but there is certainly a lot being done to restore and protect what remains.
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In Slovene "trg" means "square" or "place", the equivalent of a Spanish "plaza" or an Italian "piazza"; it’s pronounced "turg". Rotovški trg (in Slovene the second word of a name is not capitalised) is basically the "town hall square" although the "front" of the…Read More

In Slovene "trg" means "square" or "place", the equivalent of a Spanish "plaza" or an Italian "piazza"; it’s pronounced "turg".

Rotovški trg (in Slovene the second word of a name is not capitalised) is basically the "town hall square" although the "front" of the old town hall is actually on the more impressive Glavni trg ("Main square" – except that, really, Trg Svobode, or "Liberty Square" is the biggest and most central of Maribor’s many squares). The name derives from the old German name Rathaushof, literally the courtyard of the town hall and this eventually morphed into the Slovene Rotovški. The first town hall was built in 1515 and before this time this area was the site of a market, sometimes referred to as the "Mehlplatz", the "flour market". The courtyard of the town hall, now known as Rotovški trg was used from time to time in the eighteenth century as a place for bull-fighting!

In the geography of Maribor, Rotovški trg links Glavni trg with Slomsek trg, which is where you’ll find Maribor’s cathedral and the impressive main post office. It’s pedestrian only except for access and unless you’re taking a short cut you’d be pretty unlikely to need to be in Rotovški trg at all. However, because it links two squares that tourists do visit, and especially because of the enticing vaulted passageway that links Glavni trg with Rotovski trg, many visitors do stray into the square to have a look.

At the Glavni trg end of the square, the rear of the town hall, the architecture is quite interesting with a two floors of arcaded walkway. At the other end of the square is the handsome Neobaroque building of the "Pioneer’s Library" with its twin balconies.
In the cellar of the town hall is the restaurant "Toti rotovž thanks to a less than glowing mention in Lonely Planet we’ve never eaten here. Apparently the restaurant boasts an eclectic international menu which doesn’t work too well. If you are looking for somewhere good to eat in this part of town I can make a couple of suggestions. For special occasions try Rožmarin which serves modern Mediterranean food; it’s one of Maribor’s most stylish restaurants and its food is excellent. Alternatively, for cheap eats head to Cevapcicarna Hadzija which is in the street that runs parallel to Rotovški trg and runs off Glavni trg north towards Slomsek trg; this place is a cosy little place serving authentic Bosnian cevapcici (spicy little sausages made of minced veal served in a special bread bun). It’s not all bad news, though, because Toti rotovž does have an outdoor summer terrace in the square and you can just have a drink there if you want, and not feel obliged to eat.

In guidebooks much is made of Maribor’s Puppet Theatre but this is another place I have yet to visit; I am sorry to say that in the three years I have been part-time resident in Maribor, I have never been able to coincide a stay with a performance. However, I do know that it’s very highly regarded and stages mostly entertainment for children; it is known for adapting classic and modern stories from all over the world to make them work as puppet shows. An international festival is held over July, August and September every year and many of the festival performances take place in the open air in the square.

So far I’ve not been able to give any compelling reasons to persuade anyone to make a point of seeing Rotovški trg; the truth is there aren’t any. Maybe you’re looking for somewhere to access the internet and think of using the library? Yes, that’s possible. You could try that but there aren’t many terminals and you’d probably be directed to the internet café on Glavni trg; if that happens, head instead for the one in the Narodni dom (standing on Glavni trg with the town hall behind you, turn left, walk past Elektro Maribor and the line of bus stops and turn left at the next corner. The building across the road is the Narodni dom, an art space that also has an internet café, the cheapest in Maribor).

The "Top Five Things about Rotovški trg":

1. Sometimes you get people playing didgeridoos in the archway between Glavni trg and Rotovški trg. That’s pretty cool.

2. As you get to the northern end of Rotovški trg you can catch the delicious aromas emanating from the (primarily) seafood restaurant Novi Svet Pri Stolnici on Slomsek trg.
3. If it’s raining or snowing you can get some temporary shelter by walking under the arcade rather than getting wet going by any other route.

4. If you’re around on a Saturday you might be able to see some wedding groups posing for photographs.

5. It’s quite nice to look at (but there are many more interesting things to see in Maribor)


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If you arrive by train the sombre and striking monument in Trg Borisa Kidrica may be the first sight you see in the city as this square is directly opposite the train station which, in fact, forms one side of the square. It’s an attractive…Read More

If you arrive by train the sombre and striking monument in Trg Borisa Kidrica may be the first sight you see in the city as this square is directly opposite the train station which, in fact, forms one side of the square. It’s an attractive square with plenty of grassy areas, well kept flowerbeds and plenty of seats so you can sit down and watch the world go by for a while.

There are a couple of bars and a fantastic bakery on one side of the square (on the right as you face the train station) or you could buy some fruit from the excellent stall that stands in front of the square as you look with the station behind you. There’s also a bread kiosk where you could by snacks for a picnic lunch on the square or for supplies for a train journey.

Whichever you choose you should step across and have a look at the monument first. It was erected in 1962 and designed by Stojan Batica. It takes the form of a group of slightly abstract figures holding up poles on which is threaded a huge piece of stone into which the face of Kidric is sculpted. It’s a dark and intensely serious piece but clearly fitting for the subject and the time.

Who was Boris Kidric I hear you ask? He was a Slovenian communist (he became leader of the Slovenian Communist Party in 1937) who helped to organise the Partisan struggle in the years between 1941 and 1945. He did pretty well for himself in Tito’s government, becoming Finance Minister in 1946, a post he held until his death in 1953. After he died, the eastern Slovenian town of Strnisce (missing vital carons on the second S and C) was renamed Kidricevo (missing the caron on the C) in his honour. There is a more traditional monument - a statue of him – in Ljubljana.

The train station was designed by Slovene architect Milan Cernigoj and you may see a more of his work around the city.He was born in Tolmin and died in Maribor in 1978. I love the simple clock tower on this low rise building which is constructed from white stone but sadly people often don’t notice it because their attention is drawn to the locomotive on display outside the station instead. Lots of train stations in Slovenia have an old locomotive on display outside and this one was built in 1903 and used until the mid 1970s.

You probably wouldn’t make a beeline for this square but if you are nearby it’s a nice place for a rest and if you arrive by train at least you now know what that curious monument is!
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With there being several squares in the centre of Maribor it's easy to think, on first visiting the town, that you've hit the heart of the town, only to find another bigger and more impressive square. I would say that Trg Svobode - literally Freedom…Read More

With there being several squares in the centre of Maribor it's easy to think, on first visiting the town, that you've hit the heart of the town, only to find another bigger and more impressive square. I would say that Trg Svobode - literally Freedom Square - should be referred to as the heart of the town, if indeed one needs to attach that name to any part.

The square is at the town end of Partizanska cesta (the other end being the bus station) and it is beside the castle (which fronts on to Grajski Trg). As soon as you see the square you will know that this is the perfect place for a market yet the food market is now at a recently (purpose) built site in Lent. However, each day a small number of market stalls - well, tables set up by traders - do appear on the square selling mainly fruit, vegetables and flowers. Alas, the number is disappointing. Any tourists visiting the town will not know that the main market is further away and will believe the market here is pretty poor. This is a particular shame since the Tourist Information Office is just over the road and most visitors will pass by the square.

Occasionally a flea market is held on the square but these are irregular at best and only ever have a handful of stalls. It would be nice if these were better promoted and perhaps some of the stall holders who turn up at the excellent flea market in the capital week after week might drop by one time.

In winter a chestnut seller stands with his brazier at the edge of the square and the smell of the roasting nuts drifts over the square and makes it quite atmospheric.

Standing in the square is a curiously shaped monument - like a sphere with a stripey blanket over it. It is a monument to the dead of the National Liberation War and was designed by Slavko Tihec and installed here in 1975. The locals often refer to it as "kodzak" - or "Kojak" and thinking about the seventies TV show you can kind of see why.

Another "monument" in the square is more obvious - it's a large wooden wine barrel that stands outside Vinag - the wine company. You can take a guided tour of the cellars which includes a wine tasting afterwards. You do need to be part of a group and tours are in English or German - if you are travelling independently, ask if there are any groups in your language (so long as that's English or German) and ask if you can tag along. You could even give a mobile number and they could call you if a tour is arranged after your enquiry. It's funny to think when you are standing on Trg Svobode that there are 20,000 square metres of wine cellars under your feet!


On the corner, just next to the Vinag entrance is the Consulate of Croatia, housed in a smart white building. Looking up past the next square - Trg General Maistra - from here you get a great view of Piramida, one of the striking hills to the north of the town centre which is covered in rows and rows of vines.

We have been visiting/living in Maribor since 2007 and only very recently has a cafe been set up in the square - and this was only for a limited time. Hopefully it will be back this summer - it's a lovely spot and a great place to people watch. From time to time concerts are held in the square such as on New Years Eve and its only then that you feel the square is being well-used.
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If you don't feel inspired to get to the summit like the locasl do - on foot - there's always the option of the cable car. Whenever we have friends and family staying with us in Maribor, the cable car is one of the first…Read More

If you don't feel inspired to get to the summit like the locasl do - on foot - there's always the option of the cable car. Whenever we have friends and family staying with us in Maribor, the cable car is one of the first activities we take them to. After that they fall in love with Maribor. Not only is the view from the top breathtaking but the scenery along the way produces a constant chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" as the cabin slowly makes its way to the summit.

This mountainous region is known as the Pohorje Massif, but the peak that dominates Maribor is just Pohorje. If you're driving there are plenty of parking spaces at the lower cable car station. Now, you could drive up the back road to the summit but you'd miss the thrill of the ascent so do park up and take the cable car.

Coming from town by public transport, take bus number 6 from outside the bus station or catch it from outside the Vecer newspaper offices in the shopping area or, across the river, from in front of the Borova shoe store. The destination is "Vzpenjača" (cable car).

The bus stops right outside the lower station. The cable car runs all day from 8.00am until 8.00pm. You buy your ticket from the window on the first floor next to the entrance to the cable car. There is a whole array of diffrent prices for different age groups, etc plus single and return fares. However, to give an idea, the adult single standard fare is 7 Euro, and the return is 9 Euro.

Place the bar-coded ticket in the turnstile machine and walk through. the attendant will point to which car you should go in. Follow the seating pattern as indicated. I think six can fit in one gondola but that would be cramped. Four is OK. The doors close automatically as the car moves along the rail and there is quite a "clunk" as the car moves off the inside rail onto the main cable. Going from bottom to top you have a low stretch and stay quite close to the ground for a few minutes until the ground suddenly disappears, followed soon after by the tree tops as you leave the canoy and a yawing chasm opens up below you.

Now and then you can spot walkers and mountain bikers on the trails and paths below. This really is a bird's eye view as town slowly fades and becomes just a collection of blurred blocks of flats. At the top the land appears again and you arrive at the upper station. Your cabin comes off the rail and into the upper station. The doors open when the cabin has stopped.

There are a couple of cafes at the summit. The Hotel Bellevue has a pleasant terrace although views are limited. The best view is at the wooden cabin though you do have to sit outside and this means mozzies in summer and a chold chill in winter. Just beneath the chalet are ponies and goats. The wooden chalet does lovely mulled wine in winter and does a fantastic barbecue just perfect for hungry skiiers.

You don't need to sit in one of the cafes to take in the views. You can simply walk past the original cable car (from the time the cable car first opened) and part of the way down the first part of the hill and you'll see all of Maribor spread out before you.

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