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The Oldest House in Maribor
Koroška cesta 24
Do you ever ask yourself the chicken and the egg question? The issue has already sparked many debates, but there is no doubt that the house on the Koroška Street stood there long before the Europark mall was build. In fact, it was here long before the cornerstone of any other house in the town.
Minorite Church and Monastery
Vojašniški trg 2
In today’s Puppet Theatre on the Barracks Square (Vojašniški trg), the Franciscan monks lived here since 10th or 11th centuryuntil the soldiers occupied these premises. After them the homeless lived here until through time it was damaged so bad that it required renovation. Year by year the church is being renovated as well. During the Lent Festival the space in front of it is occupied by the visitors of the Večer and Jazz stages.
Plague Monument
Glavni trg
You will hardly find a city or a town in Europe, where at the end of the plague a monument was-n’t erected. In Maribor the period of black death ended in 1681 and that’s when the Assumtion of Mary between the Moon and the stars happened, which was accompanied with six saints in the 18th century by the sculptor Straub. Enviable age of the sculpture claimed its debt and so the sculpture isenjoying its old age in the Maribor Regional Museum, with a replica adoring the Main Square (Glavni trg).
Synagogue and the Jewish Square (Židovski trg)
Židovska ulica 4
Although many travellers and inhabitants of Maribor overlook it, the synagogue in the Jewish Square is one of the oldest in Europe. In the Middle Ages, it was an important spiritual and cul-tural centre for the Jews who developed trade and bargain due to their international connections. Throughout the centuries its ownership changed; today, however, it houses the Jewish Heritage Centre. These days a photography club operates in the Jewish Tower.
The Jewish Square is a quiet corner with one of the most beautiful views of the Drava River and the Glavni oder stage of the Lent Festival. A turn for 360° will give you a multicultural experi-ence – the old Jewish building, the Chinese tree, authentic Maribor atmosphere and temporary art – a sculpture Five Organic Perils that is slowly being dissolved by rust, which only presents one fraction of the name…
City Walls and Defence Towers
Vodni stolp, Sodni stolp, Čeligijev stolp, Židovski stolp
In the Middle Ages, no city or town was without defense walls. Maribor would not have survived from 13th to 18th century if it wasn’t guarded by thick walls and defense towers. Although the expansion of the town had eaten away most of its historical defenses, a nice piece of them can still be found in Lent. The most enduring of the towers proved to be the Water Tower, the Judgment Tower, the Jewish Tower and the Tscheligi Tower.
Lent
Pristan
Like many Slovene derivatives Lent also comes from the old German term “lander”, which means “a place to land”. The river bank used to be an important port. Because of it’s favourable location, a storage area grew there, and the artisans followed by setting up shop nearby. Their professions gave names to the streets running transverse between the bank and the town. With the development of industry, this part of the town slowly decayed and received an almost fatal blow with the construction of bridges. However, today Lent caught life again and became a popular place to hang out, chit-chat, walk and feed the moody swans. If you find yourself in this part of the town in the evening hours, enjoy a glass or two of your favorite drink to help you continue a night stroll around Maribor.
Liberation Monument at Liberty Square (Trg svobode)
Trg svobode
The bronze monument is dedicated to the national liberation struggle and is shaped like a water drop or according to some other interpretations as a clenched fist. In the monument there are graphical copies of public proclamations about the shootings of hostages and rebels, who during World War II were condemned to death (667 killed), as well as a farewell letter by Jože Fluks, a man who was condemned to death. Recently a white fist was added as a reminder of the protests that took place in the winter and spring of 2012 and 2013. Locals also call the monument “Kodžak”.
The bridges
Koroški most, Studenška brv, Stari most, Titov most, Železniški most, Dvoetažni most
The left and the right bank of the Drava River are connected by six bridges. If you follow the flow, you will first find yourself under the widest bridge, the Carinthian Bridge. The next one is the Students’ footbridge, a popular place for couples to lock their love with locks engraved with their initials. It is also the no.1 photo shoot location for the local posers. If you call the main or the Old Bridge a red bridge, all the locals will know what you are talking about. It does not only have the most recognizable color but also the longest history of construction, demolition and re-construction. Next is the concrete Tito Bridge, a two-lane road with a pavement and serving as an “extension” to the Europark mall. The Rail Bridge presents a real challenge in free-style climbing for the graffiti artists. It is followed by the Double-Storey Bridge where pedestrians and cyclists are allowed only on the lower floor, since the upper is part of a motorway.
The squares
Rotovški trg, Glavni trg, Slomškov trg, Grajski trg, Trg svobode, Trg Leona Štuklja, Trg generala Maistra
For centuries a lively meeting place, where you can exchange things, ideas, information, chat and where the centers are filled with monuments, fountains, statues and sculptures. For the locals eve-ry one of them has a specific role – from the Rotovž Square (Rotovški trg) to the Main Square (Glavni trg) wedding guests gather. The Slomšek Square (Slomškov trg) is surrounded by temples of knowledge, culture and religion, but also revels. In the Castle Square (Grajski trg) you can sit down to a full table. On Wednesdays, the Liberty Square (Trg svobode) hosts a fresh vegetable market, on other days products of domestic and foreign trade and in winter mulled wine and snacks await right next to the ice-skate ring. The Leon Štukelj Square (Trg Leona Štuklja), the living room of Maribor that fashions a huge TV screen, is still gaining adherents of benches in the shade of various trees, which were planted on tiny flecks of land among the paving. On the General Maister Square (Trg generalaMaistra) you can meet the high school students sitting out-side during the school breaks.
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