Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The second-biggest city in Slovenia (with 158,000 people), Maribor lives forever in the
shadow of its much glitzier big sister, Ljubljana. Maribor is too small to offer an exciting
big-cityexperienceandtoobigtobecharming.Butthishomeofindustry,business,andone
of Slovenia's three universities is worth a quick look if you want to round out your Sloveni-
an experience.
The lazy provincial town of Maribor woke up fast in 1846, when the Habsburgs built
the train line from Vienna to the coast through here. It quickly modernized, losing some of
its quaintness but gaining an urban, industrial flavor. However, Maribor was devastated in
WorldWarII(unlikeotherSloveniancities),whenitservedasaheadquartersforoccupying
Nazi forces. Since the city's factories also produced plane engines and other supplies, it be-
came a “secondary target,” where Allied warplanes—mostly American—would drop their
bombs if unable to hit their primary targets in Germany or Austria.
Today, rebuilt Maribor feels mellow for its size. Nestled up against a gentle vineyard-
covered hill, it's almost cozy. From a tourist's perspective, the town is pleasant enough,
but pretty dull—there's little to do other than wander its pedestrians-only streets. But being
named a European Capital of Culture for 2012 has helped boost Maribor's appeal. The city
doesn't merit a detour, but it's worth a couple of hours for a stroll if you're passing through
or have run out of diversions in Ptuj.
