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History of Maribor
Local legend Bishop Slomšek
Middles Ages
The Romans left the area largely untouched and it was not until the Middle Ages that a proper town developed. After the construction of a castle on Pirimida Hill in 1164, a settlement began to grow along the river below and soon turned into a thriving market community, which officially become a town, called 'Markburg', in 1254 (the Slovene name, Maribor, did not appear until 1836). In the decade that followed, a long wall and series of defence towers were built around the town in order to protect against invasion - several of these impressive towers can still be seen today.
Habsburgs come to town
After the Habsburgs acquired the surrounding region of Carinthia in 1335, wine commerce began to expand and Maribor achieved economic prominence for the first time. During this period the town also became home to a large and prosperous Jewish community, whose expulsion in 1497 marked the beginning of what would prove to be a rather tumultuous three hundred years.
Bleak times
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, competition from foreign merchants, numerous fires, multiple sieges at the hands of the Hungarians and Ottomans, the so-called "wine wars" with neighbouring Ptuj and a healthy dose of the plague all took their toll on the city - although the latter also led to the commissionn of modern Maribor's finest monument, the Plague Column in Glavni Trg.
Industrial Revolution
During the 18th century the town's fortune began to turn around after the state took control of various craftsmen guilds, reorganised the system of duty and improved roads. But it was the construction of a railway line from the seat of the empire in Vienna to the port of Trieste on the Adriatic, that led to an major industrial boom a century later.
Aftermath of World War I
The aftermath of the First World War brought significant political changes to what had become an important industrial centre. After nearly a half century of Habsburg rule, Slovenia opted to join the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs while the German-controlled municipal council of Maribor elected to join Austria. Some brief fighting ensued, which ended with Major Rudolf Maister taking control of the city. Shortly after, the municipal council was dissolved and Styria region was officially incorporated into Slovenia in 1919.
World War II
Maribor, along with the rest of Yugoslav Styria, was annexed by the Nazis in April 1941, who immediately set about expelling non-Germans - a policy overseen by the Füher himself on a visit to the city shortly after it was seized. Over the course of the war air raids from both sides demolished or heavily damaged nearly half the city's buildings. On 9 May 1945 units of Bulgarians, the Red Army and Slovene partisans succeeded in liberating the city.
Post-war reconstruction
Following the war, larger firms were nationalised and the labour force was reorganised. As a result industrial output soon surpassed its pre-war levels. Maribor benefited significantly from its skilled workforce and proximity to Austria and Italy, becoming one of the biggest industrial centres of Yugoslavia.
Independence
Maribor faced another difficult period after Slovenian independence in 1991. The loss of the Yugoslav market and changing global trends led to a collapse of heavy industry, which had employed nearly two-fifths of the city's residents, and unemployment rose to a staggering 25%. However, over the last ten to fifteen years the economy has recovered with a new focus on small and medium sized businesses, and increasingly tourism.
The 21st century
Slovenia entered the European Union in 2004, and adopted the Euro in 2007. It joined the Schengen area the same year, which essentially removed the borders between neighbouring EU states and made travelling to nearby Austria easier than ever. Maribor was recently named as one of the EU's Capitals of Culture for 2012, and will host the Winter Universiade (or World University Games) the following year.
