Maribor: The old vine and Slomšek square

Let me introduce to you the oldest vine in the world

The oldest vine in the world.

Maribor is famous for being one of the centers of the Slovenian wine industry. And our wine is pretty good and many times internationally awarded, but unfortunately it's just not that famous like French. However many people, who try it are very astonished by the exquisite taste. Then it should not surprise you, that the oldest vine in the world is found in Maribor. Of course I had to show this nature's wonder to my girlfriend and so we headed down to Lent.

The part near the river Drava is Lent, the oldest part of Maribor.

To go down, you have to walk through old passages. It feels like you're in a seaside town.

And voila! This is the oldest vine in the world.

✰ The oldest vine in the world

Stara trta (pronounced as "Stah-rah ter-tah") or The old vine is probably around 440 years old, maybe 450, but definitely over 400 (scientists from Paris have confirmed that, since 2004 Stara Trta is in the Guiness book of records). It was probably planted between 1560 and 1580. The first image of the house with the vine dates back to the year 1657. Isn't that amazing? This vine is older than the United States of America! Imagine, it survived 440 cold winters and hot summers, it survived various devastating fires in the 17th century, a plague, that killed a lot of people in Maribor, two world wars with heavy bombing of Lent in 1944/45. It survived the Austrian monarchy, nazism, Yugoslavia and the communism... It didn't even dry out in 1941, when Adolf Hitler came to Maribor and stared at it with his demonic eyes. It still stands there proudly on that same wall as the oldest vine planted on the planet, as the pride of Maribor and Slovenia. You have to know that the old vine is like holy for people of Maribor.

Every spring there is an official pruning event, where parts of the vine are skillfully removed and the event attracts hundreds of spectators (see a photo here). However the biggest celebration (in the recent years) is held every October, when the grapes are harvested. It attracts many locals and tourists, the mayor of Maribor is present, as well as other important people in town (see video above to get an idea about how that looks like). Not a lot of wine is produced from the stara trta, less than 100 small bottles (0,25 l) every year. The wine is more of a symbolic gift usually given to foreign heads of state. Among the famous receivers were the Japanese emperor Akihito, Pope John Paul II and Bill Clinton.

The old vine from close, in August 2010. "Štiristoletna trta" means "400 years old vine".

The old vine 2 days ago, November 2010. Autumn colored the leaves brown.

✰ My girlfriend loves milk and wine

There's a wine museum near the old vine, (it's free of charge), where you can see the history of the old vine as well as the history of wine making in the region. You can also try some of the best wines from around Maribor. My girlfriend tried a small glass and it was quite expensive (3eur), but definitely worth it. She said it was one of the best wines she ever tried.

After we finished tasting wine and admiring the old vine, we moved to other parts of Lent.

This is the newest day market in Maribor. It's usually open during weekends.

My girlfriend found a "mlekomat" (fresh milk vending machine) again and wanted to drink fresh milk. Was it a good idea for her to drink milk after wine? No further comments on that.

Look at this sassy Taiwanese street model: Shoes Bu Ma, Jeans Li Wai Se, purse Gu Ji, bag Lu Yi Bei Tuo, shirt homemade, glasses Ah Luo Ma Ni, smile priceless. Photographer: Ning Nuo.

✰ Slomšek square, the heart of Maribor

We headed to the Slomšek square (Slomškov trg). This is one of the oldest squares in Maribor and features some very important buildings: The Stolnica or Maribor cathedral (first time mentioned in 1248), the seat of the University of Maribor (which was established in 1975), the Theater of Maribor (Mariborsko gledališče, since 1852) and the seat of the Post of Slovenia (Pošta Slovenije).

A small park with a fountain near the university building.

Stolnica and the seat of the Post of Slovenia.

Stolnica from behind.

After we left the Slomšek square, we headed to other parts in the old Maribor, explored old lanes and lovely old squares. More about that in my next final post.

Maribor introduction :Before [Slovenia Tour 2010] Next: Maribor, city of towers>>

[My SLOVENIA page][My MARIBOR page][All photos by MKL, 2010]

[Info Sources: Travel Guide, Wiki, SloveniaInfo]