Discover Maribor by Hire Car
Picturesque, in the middle of the Alps, lies the beautiful Slovenian city of Maribor.
The second largest town in the country, about 50 kilometres from Graz in Austria, Maribor has a history dating back more than 700 years.
Under the name Marburg an der Drau, Maribor belonged to the Duchy of Styria, which was under Habsburg rule, until the First World War.
History and present of Maribor
Until 1918, it was mainly Germans who shaped the public life of Maribor, or Maribor. Shortly thereafter, against the will of the freely elected city fathers and most of the population, it was assigned to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
While Slovene was spoken in the majority in the surrounding countryside, German was spoken almost exclusively in Maribor. Once again annexed by the Greater German Empire from 1941 to 1945, Maribor became part of Yugoslavia after World War II. During this time, the city blossomed into a cultural and industrial center of the country.
However, when Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Maribor lost its connection to Yugoslavia’s internal market, resulting in high unemployment.
Europe’s largest urban exodus began. About 3.1 percent of the population left the city annually.
Today, Maribor has close economic and cultural exchanges with Gratz as part of its Europeanization, and was Alpine Town of the Year in 2000.
Leisure in Maribor
Every January, the women’s slalom and giant slalom races are held as part of the Alpine Ski World Cup.
Because Maribor is very spread out, it’s a good idea to explore the city and its enchanting surroundings by hire car.