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 108,000 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. The nearest larger
urban center is Graz in Austria which is about 50 km (30
miles) away. 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.

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.

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),
Radvanje (Rothwein), Krčevina (Kartschowin), and Košaki
(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.
 Maribor from Kalvarija hill.

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,cultural center of Eastern Slovenia and the
biggest industrial city in Yugoslavia. 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 improved since the mid-
1990s with the development of small and medium sized
businesses and industry. Unemployment in June 2007 is
11,5% (ILO:7,8% )

What is the Slovene coat - of - arms like?

The Slovene coat - of - arms is in the form of a shield. The

shield bears a central image of Mt.Triglav in white and blue
background. Two undulating blue lines below it represent the
sea and rivers, and three six-pointed gold stars are arranged
above an inverted triangle. The sides of the shield have a
red border. The coat - of - arms is designed according to a
particular geometric and colour scheme.

What is the Slovene flag like?

The flag of the Republic of Slovenia constis of the popular

tricolor ( white-blue- red ) plus the Slovene coat – of arms.
The proportion between the width and the lengh is a 1 : 2.
The white- blue – red combination appears in that order from
top to bottom in three equal band, in the top left corner of
the flag. One half of it reaches in the white band, the top
corner in the blue one.

What is the Slovene national anthen like ?

The text of the Slovene national anthem is the seventh

stanza of a Toast ( Zdravljica ) by a France Prešeren. The
tune is taken from the choral work of the same name by
composer Stanko Premrl.

Let’s drink that every nation

Will live to see that bright day’s birth

When neath the sun’s rotation

Discent is banished from earth,

 Kill will be

Kinfolk free

With neibherurs none enemity

What is celebrated in Slovenia ?

- New Year , 1.st and 2nd January

- Slovene Curtular Holiday, 8th February
- Easter
- Day of Uprising Against Occupation, 27th April
- Labour Day, 25th June
- Reformation Day, 31st October