Grad(The Castle) - Vetrinjska ulica(Vetrinjska street) - Glavni trg(Main square) - Koroska cesta(Koroska street) - Strossmayereva ulica(Strossmayerjeva street) - Oroznova ulica(Oroznova street) - Slomskov trg(Slomsek square) - Gosposka ulica(Gosposka street) - Slovenska ulica(Slovenska street)

Main square

From Vetrinjska Street we turn right, into Glavni trg (Main Square). Its present street plan, at its western side, dates from 1974. It has seen many renovations. For example, at one time, it was considerably smaller: to the east, it was surrounded by a group of houses running along Gosposka ulica, then it gently sloped along Dravska ulica to the river (old picture).

From the eastern section of present-day Glavni trg we follow Zidovska ulica (Jewish Street) until we come upon the remains of the former Maribor Jewish ghetto. The Jewish community, which dealt with commerce and finances, was quite large. In 1497 the Jews were exiled and they scattered all over Europe, especially in Italy. Synagogue [4], Zidovska 4, is well preserved. It was first mentioned in 1429, but must have been in existence well before that. Adjacent to it was the Jewish cemetery, the rabbi's house, and the Talmudic school; the ritual bath was located in front of the town wall on the Drava. From time to time, the synagogue served as the temporary seat of the supreme rabbinate for Styria. The synagogue stands next to the town wall; from the south it is buttressed by three columns. The outer walls have inbuilt ornamental mouldings. After the expulsion of the Jews, the synagogue in 1501 was turned into the Catholic Church of All Saints. In 1785 the Church was deconsecrated and used as a storehouse. The lower smaller building at the eastern side of the synagogue was the sexton's house. At its western side, the Church's curate office replaced the former rabbi's residence. The Maribor synagogue is the best preserved Jewish religious temple in the territory of the Eastern Alps; it is now used as an exhibition hall.

A few steps to the east, in the southeastern corner of the old town wall, is Zidovski stolp (the Jewish Tower), built in 1465. In the distant past, it was the dwelling of the town peace officer. Recently, the Tower has been renovated and now features photographic exhibitions. During the last war, the eastern part of Glavni trg (Main Square) was badly damaged. Rebuilding has been underway since then, but it is not yet quite finished. The multipurpose building in Glavni trg 16, 17, and 17b, designed by the architect Vlado Jendl and built in 1981, occupies half the Square. Better preserved is the western section of the Square.

Number 1 is the Casino, an international gambling house. It used to house the Velika kavarna ('The Grand Coffee House'), a popular Maribor's meeting place. Adjacent to the Casino building is the Old Bridge, built in 1913, which spans the Drava. To gain entrance to the bridge a group of houses was torn down, destroying the architectural harmony of the Square. The winding Dravska ulica (Dravska Street) used to lead from the bridge towards the Drava river. One can still find reminders of Dravska ulica under the bridge.

Plague Memorial [6] is in the present centre of the Square. Initially, in 1681, a figural column of the Virgin Mary was erected by the townspeople, but it 1743 it was replaced by the present memorial, sculpted by Jozef Straub. The centre piece of the memorial is again a column with the Virgin Mary, but the pedestal of the column is surrounded by the saints invoked against the dreaded plague: St. Francis of Assissi, Bostjan, Jacob the Eider, Anton Padovanski, Rok, and St. Francis Xavier. In a few steps one reaches the pedestal which is in the shape of an altar. Above the altar table is an oval cartouche with a Latin inscription. The Plague Memorial was erected by the "pious town dwellers" to commemorate the plague victims of 1680.

At the south side of the Square is a row of interesting buildings, which used to comprise a complex of buildings supervised by the Jesuits [7]: the former Jesuit college, which now houses Pokrajinski arhiv (the Regional Archives), the Church of St. Aloysius; and to the west of it, in Koroska cesta 1, the building of the former secondary school (Gymnasium). The college and the Gymnasium were founded by the Jesuits in 1758. Construction was done between 1767-1770 on the foundations of the century-year old building. In 1769 the Aloysius Church was built, After the Jesuit order was suppressed, the secondary school building was turned into a military warehouse and the college into a military training centre. In 1831 the Church was reconsecrated and the former military training institution replaced in 1859 by the theological seminary of the Lavantine Diocese. The Church of St. Aloysius is a very fine example of Baroque architecture. It has a rich, very large Baroque altar, with Tunnej's (1861) portrait of St. Alovsius. In front of the church, and following the design of its two adjacent buildings, stands the imposing, beautifully crafted Rococo wrought-iron gate. The secondary school (Gymnasium) was of great importance to the cultural and political development of Maribor and northeastern Slovenia. Many esteemed Slovene intellectuals are its graduates among them the celebrated philologist and rector of the University of Vienna Franc Miklosic (1813 - 1891), to whose memory a memorial plaque was erected above the entrance door. Among its graduates were also Stanko Vraz, Anton Murko, Dr Pavel Turner, Dr. Matija Murko, Dr. Ivan Decko, Janko Glazer, Dr. Makso Snuderl, Dr. Bratko Kreft, Dr. Anton Slodnjak, Edvard Kocbek, Ferdo Delak, Dr. Dragotin Cvetko, Branko Rudolf, and Kajetan Kovic.

At the north side of the Square, the most impressive building is rotovz (the Town Hall)[8]. It was built in 1515, and the rebuilt in 1565 in the Renaissahce style. Its most notable feature is the Renaissance facade with a Venetian Renaissance balcony, adorned by the town's coat of arms and with the year number 1565. The Town Hall was successively rebuilt several times. It was renovated in 1952-54 by the architect Jaroslav Cernigoj. It was at that time that the stone window casements, which had remained covered over the years, were finally exhibited in all their glory. In 1968, the old Town Council Chamber was renovated; its mark of distinction is the 1728 stucco ceiling, supported by four caryatids. The works were believed to have been executed by the Quadrio family. In 1967 the Town Hall ceased to function as a communal administrative building. Since then it houses an exhibition hall and functions as the centre of several cultural institutions. The former Council Chamber is used today as a wedding hall and for receptions. The building next to the Town Hall (Glavni trg 15) has an interesting early classical facade. The building to the west of the Town Hall (Glavni trg 12) features a painted ornamented facade and derives from the second half of the nineteenth century. The theme of the ornamentation - curative drugs and healing - complements the former groundfloor apothecary, which also gave its name to the narrow street leading from it to Slomskov trg (Slomsek Square), namely Lekarniska ulica (Apothecary street). At one time, the transit route between Vienna and Trieste ran across Glavni trg towards the Drava river. Additionally, Glavni Trg was also a food market. (Of special interest were the "speharji", the merchants who sold bacon and pork from the Drava Field.)

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