The Travel Crown, Maribor, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The Town Hall (Rotovž) at Glavni trg 14 is the old civic heart of Maribor, Slovenia, and the stop that Questo calls The Travel Crown. It was built more than 500 years ago from two merged houses and looks over the Main Square, the town's market place for centuries. Its balcony carries the city's stone coat of arms, guarded by two crowned lions.

The story behind it

The building took its present form when two older houses were joined and rebuilt into one town hall, over five hundred years ago. From its balcony the council looked out on Glavni trg, a square first mentioned in 1315. From the Middle Ages until the first half of the 20th century it was Maribor's main market place, so for centuries this was where townspeople came to trade and to hear the news.

On the balcony fence sits the stone coat of arms of Maribor, dated 1565. Two lions with a crown stand guard on either side of it. In the middle of the square is the Mary's sign, also called the plague column. It was put up in 1743 on the site of an older one from 1681. Jozef Straub made it, on the order of the citizens, as thanks for the end of the plague in the city.

What to look for

• Find the balcony on the front of the town hall and look at its fence, where the stone city coat of arms dated 1565 is set.
• Look at the two lions on either side of the coat of arms, each wearing a crown.
• Walk to the middle of the square to see the plague column from 1743, and look at the figures and carving that Jozef Straub made.
• Turn around and take in the whole square from in front of the town hall to picture the market that filled it for centuries.

Tips for your visit

• The facade and the square are free to see from outside at any time. Allow 15 to 20 minutes, longer if you want to sit and watch the square.
• Morning light is good for photographing the balcony and coat of arms, and the square is calmer before the day gets busy.
• Check current opening hours and whether visitors can enter the town hall, as access can change.
• The old town and the Drava riverside are within easy walking distance, so this makes a good first stop on a longer stroll.

See it on a quest

Crowns of Maribor is a good way to see the town hall, because you reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route through the city. The app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle right in front of it. One ticket covers the whole group.

Where is Nikola Tesla? Maribor Tour also passes this spot and takes you on to other parts of Maribor. You get the story of each place on arrival and a puzzle to solve on the spot, with no guide and no set start time. One ticket covers the whole group.