Maribor information system

Maribor - Location (please also see where is Maribor and how to get to Maribor).

Maribor is situated 269.5 m above sea level, 15° 39' 12" E longitude and 46° 33' 39" N latitude, as measured from the southwest corner of the Castle chapel. The city fans out along both banks of the Drava river. Entire regions form a contiguous whole:

  • the Drava valley between the Pohorje and Kozjak mountain chains spreads out at Selnica into a broader diluvial lowland of the Maribor Plain;
  • Slovenske gorice, hills of the Tertiary geological period, are camposed of Miocene marl and sandstone;
  • the Drava-Ptuj Field, which forms a giant triangle, extends as a large mound of gravel diluvial sediments towards Ptuj.

The Drava river, formed by a glacier, deposited large quantities of gravel, which in turn formed a characteristic Mariborian landscape of terraces. To the north, Maribor is ringed by the surroundings hills that are enhanced by vineyards that occupy acreage extending into Maribor itself, thus lending the city a special charm.

To the southwest, Maribor is protected by the eastern slope of the Pohorje mountain chain. At the Pohorje foothills, a separate "little mountain" (the tonalite Pekrska Gorca, 352 m) with its famous vineyards, is situated.

Maribor is located at the junction of two natural routes. The first is the river Drava, which divides the city in to north and southpart. In former times, the Drava river was mainly used for the transportation of assorted cargo on covered barges and rafts. Parallel to the Drava river was a service road and a railway line. The second, from a meridian-wise direction, is the route across the Drava river from the Gradec Basin towards the Celje Basin. The highway and the railway through Maribor connect Central and southeastern Europe.

Maribor's geographical location determined the city's development. The old core of the city is found between gently sloping Drava river - formed terraces and the vineyard hills to the north. Maribor's layout suggests a rectangular network of rows of buildings and traffic systems in northsouth and east-west directions. In the nineteenth century the city started to spread towards Meljski hrib (Melje Hill). In this century, it has centered below the Pohorje mountain in two elongated ribbons on both sides of the Strazunski gozd (Strazun forest) to the southeast. Unfortunately, this growth has been too haphazard and thus has not been accompained by adequately planned urbanization. This is why even to this day almost all crucial urban components of the city are still located on the left bank of the Drava river, in the old city nucleus, or adjacent to it.


Maribor - Climate

For most of the year, Maribor enjoys a pleasant Pannonian climate. Winters tend to be cold. Spring comes early. Summers are hot and autumns warm.

Rainfalls

The yearly rainfall averages 1055 mm; mostly it rains in May, June, and July. The autumn months are relatively dry.

Maribor offers many pleasant, sunny days; on average we have some 266 sun-filled days in a year. There is not much fog in Maribor, but with heavy humidity and cloudiness on the increase, fog does tend to settle on the city, mainly in the months of November and December.

Wind

Maribor receives mostly northwestern, southeastern, northern, and southern winds. During the night, most frequently, the northwestern wind blows from the Drava valley; at daytime it is the southeastern wind. These winds bring to the city the clear mountain air. They clear the air above the city, which from time to time can be very badly polluted by industry. Maribor, in general, is very well protected against unpleasant biting winds, as well as against floods.


©Rain