"Maribor - Slovenia" Maribor by pure1942

Maribor is Slovenia's second largest city with a population of just over 100,000 people and is capital of the Stajerska region. The city is located on the Drava river and is surounded by the Kozjak and Slovenske Gorice Hills.
Maribor is generally regarded as a ski resort but the town itself merits a visit in its own right. Maribor is also the centre of one of Slovenia's main wine growing regions.
Unfortunately I visited Maribor on Easter Monday as a break in my onward journey to Graz in Austria and the town was very quiet with everything closed for the holiday. I still spent a few enjoyable hours strolling through the city centre and pedestrian area. The town has a distinct Slovenian charm mixed with German and Austrian influences, not surprisng since the Austrian border lies just a few miles to the north.

Franciscan Church

Maribors old town is great for a walk especially through the pedestrain area. Maribor has a variety of lovely squares including Liberty Square/Svobode Trg with its Freedom Memorial, Grajski Trg which houses Maribor Castle, Glavni Trg with a monument dedicated to the Plague and Slomskov Trg with the University Building, Post Office, Theatre and Cathedral.
Every visitor to Maribor should head towards Lent, which is Maribor's oldest area and is nice for a stroll with its cobblestone streets, red roofed houses, city wall remains and the world's oldest fruit bearing grape vine!
Walking northwards you come to the beautiful Mestni Park which is overlooked by the Piramida hill with its tiny hill-top chapel and vineyards sloping down the hill. I didn't have time to climb the hill but is supposed to give great views out over the city.

Mestni Park

Here is a list of a few of Maribors must see sites. All these sites are doable in just a couple of hours so even people just passing through the town on the way to Graz or Vienna from Ljubljana should consider stopping off in the town for a few hours to enjoy a little of hat this lovely town has to offer.

Franciscan Church - city centre red bricked Cathedral
Piramida - Chapel, vines and city views
Slomskov Trg - University Building, Theatre Post Office and Cathedral
Svobode Trg - Freedom Memorial
Glavni Trg - City Hall and Plague Memorial
Lent Area - World's Oldest Vine
Bridges - Glavni Most and Stari Most
Synagogue
Mesti Park