Beer Lover's Paradise

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE LOCAL CULTURE BY TASTING THE BEST SLOVENIAN CRAFT BEERS IN THE HOTTEST LOCAL SPOTS

• Sample 6 contemporary Slovenian craft beers and 3 lager beers from a house brewery in the middle of city center.

• Snacks (bites + full dishes).

• Beer tasting at the 'Beer foutain'

• Enjoy a personalised 2.5–3 hours walking tour through the hottest local spots in a small group.

• Learn about the thriving craft beer business in Slovenia.

• Discover new beer flavors!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Grajski Trg square, Maribor Slovenia

Named after Maribor Castle today, Grajski trg used to be called Florian Square in the past. In 1700, Maribor suffered a particularly bad fire, and a column to St. Florian was erected in the square. St. Florian is the saint invoked against fires, floods, and natural disasters.

The northeastern part of the square is dominated by Maribor Castle. Built in the second half of the 15th century, Maribor Castle was one of the defensive measures taken in face of the Ottoman invasions. It also doubled as the administrative court of the sovereign prince. Nowadays, the castle houses the Maribor Regional Museum.

Pass By: Maribor Castle, Grajska ulica 2, Maribor 2000 Slovenia

Maribor castle was built in the second half of the 15th century to protect the city from the Ottoman invasions. Today, it houses the Maribor Regional Museum, collects, protects, preserves, explores, and promotes movable cultural heritage significant for the wide Maribor region from the aspects of archaeology, ethnology and cultural history.

It is said that Maribor had a castle within the city walls as early as the 12th century; it was mentioned in written records in 1145 as Hus ze Marchburch. Hus means a house or a castle, and Mar or March means borderland or mark. This castle is believed to have been located near the southwestern corner of the city next to the Carinthian gate. In time, it grew so dilapidated that nobody lived there anymore. Only the cellar and the granary were still in use. The castle most was likely used as the seat of regional lords, while the castle on top of Piramida served as a regional fortress.
Hungarian and Ottoman attacks in the 15th century called for stronger fortification, so Emperor Frederick III. built a new castle between 1478 and1483.

This new castle was meant to strengthen the northeastern part of the city walls. The bastion erected in the corner served as a means of defence together with the city moat.

In the following centuries, the castle was extended and modernized several times. The first significant changes date back to 1620 when the new owners began to convert the building to a residential castle. Further changes followed and turned the castle into what it is today: an elegant feudal residence that bears the mark of different art periods and architectural styles.

However, the changes also resulted in a major loss. The castle used to be much larger than it is today. When the Grajska ulica street cut the complex in half in 1871, Maribor castle lost its main and largest courtyard. Today, the castle houses the Maribor Regional Museum.

Pass By: Slomskov Trg, Maribor Slovenia

Dominated by the Maribor Cathedral, this square is closely connected with the history of the Archdiocese of Maribor. In the past, it bore the names Church Square and Cathedral Square. Since 1919, it’s been called Slomšek Square, after bishop Anton Martin Slomšek. Slomšek is known for moving the seat of the diocese to Maribor from St. Andrä in Austria. He is also the only Slovenian who’s been pronounced Blessed by the pope. His statue can be found on the edge of the park.

North of the church, a 16th-century Lantern of the Dead marks the location of the old city cemetery. Nearby is a stone lion from the Roman times, which was found in the riverbed of the Drava.

The surrounding buildings add more splendour to the square: the seat of the University of Maribor, the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, and the old Maribor post. The post building has a colourful past: it stands on the site of a former alms house, a church, and a girls’ school. For a while, the building had even housed the theatre before a new theatre building was erected on the opposite side of the square.

The University of Maribor is the second largest and oldest university in Slovenia. Its beginning date back to the 19th century when Bishop Anton Martin Slomšek founded the first Slovenian theological college. The university in its current form was founded in 1975. The seat of the university in located in the former Town Savings Bank on Slomškov trg square.

Befor Slomškov trg square we will also se...

Tscheligi Tower is the only preserved tower on the northern side of the old city wall. It is also among the best preserved medieval towers in Slovenia. Thsceligi Tower has had various names through time. It was called the Torture Tower after the torture chamber inside, and the Black Tower after the days when a company called Talis stored coal inside it. The name Tscheligi Tower comes from a famous 18th century brewery that stored beer in the tower.



Pass By: Maribor Cathedral (Church of St John the Baptist), Slomshkov trg 20, Maribor 2000 Slovenia

The first church was built on this site in the beginning of the 12th century and was, at that time, located outside the newly formed town. As the town grew into a city, the church also expanded and changed in accordance with the Gothic fashion. Two chapels were added in the baroque period, but in contrast to many other churches in Slovenia, Maribor Cathedral preserved its predominantly Gothic appearance.

The next addition to the church was the classicist bell tower. 162 steps lead to the top where an observation desk provides visitors with a splendid view of Maribor. A small apartment at the top served as a fire lookout’s living quarters in the past and houses an exhibition dedicated to the same topic today. Visitors who climb to the top can also ring the wishing bell and make a wish.

The church saw another important change in 1859 when Anton Martin Slomšek transferred the seat of the diocese to Maribor from Carinthian Sankt Andrä, and the Church of St. John the Baptist was elevated to the status of a cathedral.

Pass By: Glavni Trg, Maribor Slovenia

Maribor’s main square was first mentioned in written sources in 1315 as the “markt”, i.e. the market. It has only been renamed as the Main Square in the 19th century. The square used to serve as market grounds for farmers and craftsmen until the first half of the 20th century. The tradition has recently been revived. Every Friday, Glavni trg hosts a farmers market that sells organic produce, baked goods, milk and meat products, and various handmade items, while the cafés around the square offer an opportunity to enjoy a coffee and soak up the sunrays.

Pass By: Plague Column, Glavni trg, Maribor Slovenia

In 1681, the residents of Maribor erected the Plague Column on Glavni trg square to mark the end of the plague that had killed about one third of the city’s population. On top of the column is a statue of Virgin Mary, with a crown of twelve stars. She is surrounded by six other saints to whom the townspeople used to pray for help. The version you can see today was made in the 18th century by Jožef Straub and replaced the earlier depiction of Mary. The monument is considered to be one of Straub’s best works and an excellent example of Slovenian baroque—the composition is lively, the figures expressive, their gestures emotional, almost as if they were frozen in a moment.

Pass By: Rotovz Town Hall, Partizanska cesta 6a, Maribor 2000 Slovenia

The Town Hall, also called Rotovž, is one of the most important secular buildings in Maribor and dates back to the late Gothic period. Constructed in 1515, the Town Hall offered a good view of the trading in Glavni trg square and subsequently control over the trade in the city. Before the end of the 16th century, Italian masters added renaissance elements to the building, giving it the look it has today.

In the past, the Town Hall served as a regional court. The ground floor and the basement were also used as prisons for a while. The court stayed in this location until the second half of the 17th century. Today, the building serves as a venue for formal events and a popular wedding location—the front façade hides a lovely baroque reception hall and a romantic square called Rotovški trg.
If you look carefully, you’ll also see that the clock tower is not aligned with the centre of the building. According to the legend, this was not a mistake but a deliberate revenge enacted by the builder who felt he was not fairly compensated for his work.