City focus Maribor
SLOVENIA’S second city may be home to less than 140,000 inhabitants, but this fiercely proud mountain hideaway on the Drava river is not content to settle for second best. With a vibrant student community,great skiing (day and night) on the edge of the city, some top-notch wines and an old town awash with welcoming bars and restaurants, historic Maribor punches well above its weight, as our roving European city reporter Robin McKelvie discovers.
City lence
Central Square
Photo by Walter Bibikow
MARIBOR is not the most obvious holiday destination, but everyone who’s
been knows one thing for certain — it sure is pretty. Pictured here is the Glavni Trg
(main square), with the rotovz or (town hall) in the foreground to the right and
the Plague Memorial in the background on the left. The latter was sculpted by
one Jozef Straub and erected in 1743.
It features the Virgin Mary surrounded
by the saints invoked against the
dreaded plague which ravaged Maribor’s
population in 1680. Shown here are St
Francis of Assisi, St Bostjan, St Jacob the
Elder, St Anton Padovanski, St Rok, and
St Francis Xavier. The impressive town
hall was originally built in 1515 and has
undergone numerous renovations since
— but still retains the renaissance façade
and Venetian renaissance balcony added
in 1565. Exciting!
WITH ski slopes tempting right on
the city’s fringes, keen skiers
will want to make a beeline for the pistes.
Maribor is a skier’s dream, with myriad slopes
to choose from nearby and the city itself on
hand for some après ski. Mariborsko Pohorje
(www.maribor-pohorje.si) is just a city bus ride
away, with over 60km of slopes — the majority
of them geared towards
beginners and intermediates,
although World Cup events have
also been held here. Pohorje is
also home to Europe’s largest
night run. Another option is to
make the half-hour road trip to
Rogla (www.rogla.si), with its
12km of ski and snowboard runs.
In the warmer months when the snow is gone, the Pohorje is opened up through a web of hiking and mountain bike trails, with mountain huts on hand for you to eat at, or stay, along the way. There is also a network of wine routes in the region, best explored using a car with someone else doing the driving.
Back in the city, the old town is the place to
be. Start on Grajski Trg (trg means square in
Slovene) where you will find Maribor Castle,
which is home to an impressive museum. It
covers the city’s history in detail, including the
days when huge rafts ferried
cargo around the Drava river.
Even if folk costumes are not
your thing, wade through
them to see the old military
uniform once worn by former
Yugoslav leader Tito.
Gosposka Ulica, with its sprinkling of shops and cafés, down to Glavni Trg, another charming square. Adolf Hitler is once said to have chillingly made a speech on the balcony of the grand Town Hall that hangs over the square. The hall is now home to a posh restaurant, Toti Rotovz, which offers wellcooked Slovenian classics. Look out too for the Plague Memorial, a testament to the “black death” that once devastated Maribor.
If you’re in the mood for a coffee, nip around
the western corner of Glavni to Postna Ulica.
Pozor Huda Kava is a great café with friendly
service and funky decor that does a mean bela
kava (a lovely milky coffee). They have heat
lamps for smoking-ban-defying punters.
Whatever the season, a stroll along the Lent waterfront is nigh on obligatory. Check out the oldest vine in the world, Stare Trte, which has been producing wine for over 400 years, and today still manages to conjure up 35 litres a year. Only important visitors like the Pope and royalty seem to be able to snare a bottle, so don’t get your hopes up. There is now a visitor centre at the site telling you all you need to know about the hallowed vine.
If you are feeling energetic, break west along the river and cross the funky new pedestrian bridge. Then turn left back along the water for a great view of the city and its rumble of bridges. If you are peckish you can have lunch at Orient, which boasts sweeping views from its terrace and smokes up gorgeous grilled meats and fish on warmer days on their barbecue.
