Maribor

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This article is about the city in Slovenia. For the Prince-Bishopric and Diocese of Maribor, see Lavant.

Mestna občina Maribor

Area:

147.5 km²

Population
- males
- females

115,693 (221.565 in area)
55,792
59,901

Average age:

40.81 years

Residential areas:
- households:
- families:

28.82 m²/person
43,900
32,685

Working active:
- unemployed:

54,287
11,907

Average monthly salary (November 2006):
- gross:
- net:

1370.86 Eur
855.45 Eur

College/university students:

26.415

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, census of 2002.

Maribor (German: Marburg an der Drau, rarely Italian: Marburgo) is a city in Slovenia and the seat of the Maribor urban municipality. With a population of 117,693 as of 2002, it is the second-largest city in the country. Maribor lies on the river Drava at the meeting point of the Pohorje mountain, the Drava valley, the Drava plain, and the Kozjak and Slovenske gorice hill ranges. It is the center of the Slovenian region of Lower Styria and its largest city. Maribor's coat of arms features a white pigeon flying downwards above a white castle with two towers and a portcullis on a red shield.

1 History
2 Contemporary Maribor
3 Twin towns
4 External links

[edit] History

In 1164 a castle known as the Marchburch (Middle High German for "March Castle") was documented in the March of Styria. Maribor was first mentioned as a market near the castle in 1204, and received town privileges in 1254. It began to grow rapidly after the victory of Rudolf I of Habsburg over Otakar II of Bohemia in 1278. Maribor withstood sieges by the Ottoman Empire in 1532 and 1683, and the city remained under the control of the Habsburg Monarchy for centuries.

Panoramic view of Maribor from Pohorje.

Maribor, previously in the Catholic Diocese of Graz-Seckau, became part of the Diocese of Lavant on 1 June 1859 and the seat of its Prince-Bishop. The name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Maribor on March 5, 1962. It was elevated to an archdiocese by Pope Benedict XVI. on April 7, 2006.

Before World War I, the city had a population of 80% Germans and 20% Slovenians, and most of the city's capital and public life was in German hands. According to the last Austro-Hungarian census in 1910, Maribor and the suburbs Studenci (Brunndorf), Pobrežje (Pobersch), Tezno (Thesen), Rothwein, Kartschowin, and Leitersberg were composed of 31,995 Germans and 6,151 Slovenians. The wider surrounding area was populated almost exclusively by Slovenians, although many Germans lived in smaller towns like Ptuj.

Sunset above Maribor.

During World War I, many Slovenians in Carinthia and Styria were detained for allegedly being enemies of the state, which led to further conflicts between German Austrians and Slovenians. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, Maribor was claimed by both the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and the First Austrian Republic. On 27 January 1919 Germans awaiting the American peace delegation at the city's marketplace were attacked by troops of Rudolf Maister, resulting in 13 killed and more than 60 wounded (the Marburger Bloody Sunday). Afterward, Maister's troops took control of the city, which became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (the later Kingdom of Yugoslavia) without a referendum.

After the war many Germans emigrated to Austria, especially officials. German schools, clubs, and organisations were closed in the new state of Yugoslavia, although Germans made up more than 25% of the city's population in the 1930s. A policy of cultural assimilation was pursued in Yugoslavia against the German minority in response to the Germanization policy of Austria against its Slovenian minority.

In 1941 Lower Styria, the Yugoslav part of Styria, was annexed by Nazi Germany. In late April Adolf Hitler, who encouraged his followers to "make this land German again", visited Maribor where a grand reception was organized by local Germans in the city castle. The city, a major industrial center with extensive armaments industry, was systematically bombed by the Allies during the World War II. The remaining German population was expelled after the end of the war in 1945.

After the liberation, the city capitalized on its proximity to Austria as well as its skilled workforce, and developed into a major transit, industrial and cultural center of Eastern Slovenia. After Slovenia seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991, the loss of the Yugoslav market severely strained the city's economy which was based on heavy industry, resulting in record levels of unemployment of almost 25%. The situation has slightly improved since the mid-1990s with the development of small and medium sized businesses and industry.

Important people who lived in Maribor include Prince-Bishop Anton Martin Slomšek, Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, the writer Drago Jančar, Olympic gold medalist and athlete Leon Štukelj and football player Zlatko Zahovič.

Lent, the old part of Maribor and the river Drava.

[edit] Contemporary Maribor

Popular tourist sites in Maribor include a 12th century Gothic cathedral and the town hall constructed in the Renaissance fashion. The castle dates from the 15th century.

The city hosts the University of Maribor, established in 1961. It is also home to the oldest grapevine in the world called Stara trta which is more than 400 years old.

Maribor is hometown of NK Maribor (www), a Slovenian football team. They participated in the UEFA Champions League in the 1999-2000 season.

Every January, the skiing centre of Mariborsko Pohorje, situated on the outskirts of the city on the slopes of the Pohorje mountain range, hosts women's slalom and giant slalom races for the Alpine Skiing World Cup known as Zlata lisica (The Golden Fox). Every June, the two-week Festival Lent (named after the waterfront district called Lent) is held, with hundreds of musical, theatrical and other events.

Maribor was also named as an Alpine city in 2000 and it also has the second biggest international airport in Slovenia. Maribor is also bidding to host the 2011 Winter Universiade.