Corridor: Diagonal Road
Country: Slovenia, Maribor, Pohorije
Type: Cultural Landscape
Epoch: Modern Times, Middle Ages
Theme:
World Heritage:

Maribor prides itself with the Old Vine, the oldest vine in the world. The vine, which is more than 400 years old, grows on the front of a house close to the river Drava in Lent. It symbolises the rich wine culture of this merry part of Stajerska, and at the same time represents the starting point and end of all wine roads that like capillaries interweave the hilly town wine district. In honour of the Old Vine a cycle of events From Vine to Wine take place throughout the year with the main event In the Old Vine's embrace. Zametovka, also called modra kavina, is one of the oldest, domesticated, vintage sorts of wines in Slovenia. It is a vintage sort with beautiful, large bunches of grapes and big grapes, which are also pleasant to eat. And they make a pure, red coloured wine... The exceptionalness of the Old Vine was confirmed with the Old Vine's entry into the Guinness Book of Records, after the period of verification that there was no other vine in the world older that still bears grapes. Still in the first half of the 20th century some very old vines of the same sort, grew exuberantly on the frontages of Maribor town houses, the vines by the Water Tower in Lent and the city castle were very well known but of the majority there is no trace today. Also the Old Vine once grew exuberantly, weaving her vines all over the wall. When along with irregular care in terribly disorderly district the level of the river rose, after the building of the hydroelectric power station in 1968, threatening the vine it began to quickly languish. Work to save it began in 1981, when a decree was passed by the city to protect it. After several years of careful tending it began to show signs of growing. It gained vitality and once again spread out over the frontage of the renovated house and trelliswork, and produced its first grapes. Now the building on which the rejuvenated Old Vine grows exuberantly is waiting to be revived. The bold plans include changing the rooms inside the building into The Old Vine information and promotion centre with the sales of souvenirs, a viticulture and rafting museum, a wine shop with top quality wines for the maribor wine growing district, seat of the Maribor and all Slovene wine queen, seat of the Association of Friends of the Old Vine and a Stajerska inn teaching centre of the catering school.

Slovenian Tourist Board