Maribor

Maribor (German: Marburg an der Drau) is a city in Slovenia, the seat of the Maribor urban municipality. With a population of 110,668 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 Drave valley, the Drave plain and the Kozjak and Slovenske gorice hill ranges. It is the largest city and the center of the Slovenian region of Lower Styria. The city's coat of arms features a white pigeon flying downwards above a white castle with two towers and a portcullis on a red shield. Maribor also has the second biggest Slovene international airport, the Maribor Airport.

In 1164, a castle known as the Marchburch (Middle High German for "March Castle") was mentioned in the March of Styria. Maribor was first mentioned as a market by the castle in 1204, and received city rights in 1254. It began to grow rapidly after the victory of Rudolf I of Habsburg over Otakar II of Bohemia in 1278. Maribor withstood seiges by the Ottoman Empire in 1532 and 1683, and the city remained under the control of the Habsburg Monarchy until the end of World War I. In 1918 Rudolf Maister organized a military operation which secured the city and the surrounding area for the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which became Yugoslavia.

Before the war the city was populated by roughy equal numbers of Germans and Slovenians, but most of the city's capital and public life was in German hands. The surrounding area was populated almost exclusively by Slovenians, although many Germans lived in smaller towns like Ptuj. After the war, many Germans emigrated to Austria, but in the 1930s they still represented more than 25% of the population. In the late 1930s, German pro-Nazi organizations were active in the city.

In 1941 the Yugoslav part of Styria was annexed by the Third Reich. In late April Adolf Hitler, who encouraged his followers to "make this land German again", visited the city 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.

Maribor was the birthplace of several important people, including the famous admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff.

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 dating from 1961. It is also home to the oldest vine tree in the world called Stara trta that is more than 400 years old.

Every January, the skiing centre of Mariborsko Pohorje, situated on the outskirts of the city on the slopes of mount Pohorje, hosts women's slalom and giant slalom races for Alpine Skiing World Cup known as Zlata lisica (The Golden Fox).

Every June, the two-week Festival Lent (named for 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.

The city has a small international airport with scheduled flights to some European destinations.