Discover the treasures of the surrounding locations
- Starše
- Rače-Fram
- Hoče-Slivnica
- Benedikt
- Cerkvenjak
- Duplek
The Starše area was plagued with the Black Death in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it is no wonder there are numerous signs of this infection. There are two in Zlatoličje, a bricked Baroque marking is located by the Drava canal, and one more, a gothic one, stands at the entrance of the village. Two can be found in Marjeta na Dravskem polju, which were erected out of gratitude as they avoided the plague. The Starše are a home to the Šentjanž Manor from the 17th century and some sacred sights, such as the St. Marjeta.
The Rače Castle, one of the most beautifully preserved flat castles in Slovenia and Europe originates from the 16th century and is known for its Goth, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Today it serves as the social centre of the municipality. Nature lovers will enjoy the Rački Ribniki – Požeg Regional Park, the Tal 2000 Botanical Garden and the Framski Potok stream. The landscape of forests and hills of the Southeast Pohorje is marked by authentic homeliness, culinary delicacies, and especially the old village settlement centre Fram with the Church of St. Anna.
in the Framski Slap waterfall – one of the largest waterfalls in Pohorje – and the Botanical Gardens of the University of Maribor in Pivola. The key cultural heritage sites from the area of must be the Hočka Kripta from the 10th century under the Church of St. George and the Slivnica castle from the 13th century. Worthy of visiting are also the Rogoza medieval castle, which serves as a prison, and the Hompoš Castle (Pohorski Dvor) from the 11th century, which houses the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Benedikt is rich with subterranean waters. The Slatina spring has been known since 1932, while some of the springs are even older. The Church of St. Benedict from the middle of the 11th century is one of the oldest in Slovenske Gorice. There is also the Church of St. George from the 16th century and the marking of the infection from 1618. You can enjoy a lovely walk on the Archaeology Path, which takes you by the archaeological findings with mythological stories and energy spots. The municipality boasts many historical people, among them Dominik Čolnik, Fran Kocbek, Ana Lušin and others.
The center of Cerkvenjak, which was named after a church, hallowed to St. Anthony of the Desert, is adorned by the Johanez's Vine, the descendant from the oldest vine in the world. The municipality has one more renowned plant – the Župetinski Hrast, one of the rare 300 to 400 year old oak trees in Slovenia with a seven metre circumference. In Brengova you can find an Archaelogy Park – the Roman burial mound. The Klopotec educational and walking path through Cerkvenjak and the Andrenski Potok stream valley is intended for learning about different ecosystems and mostly for relaxation and strengthening of the body and mind.
Next to the Vruberk Castle, which was first mentioned in writing in 1328, stands the preserved Renaissance fort circle, a wall with towers and the entrance with a Renaissance portal, which still holds the Vurberk coat-of-arms. The castle served as a hunting castle in different time periods, a sanatorium for pulmonary diseases and a Nazi political school. The renowned sight is also the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption, serving mostly the inhabitants of the castle – it was first mentioned in 1136. You also cannot miss a visit to the secured Kamenščak – Hrastovec Regional Park.
- Kungota
- Lenart
- Lovrenc na Pohorju
- Makole
- Miklavž na Dravskem polju
- Oplotnica
- Pesnica
Kungota is a place where you can stumble upon the famous road at Špičnik, which is shaped as a heart and winds among the vineyards. There is also the Kebl Vineyard Museum and the remains of the Svečina Castle from 12th century, which was first owned by the Cmurek family who gifted the castle to the Sekava monastery.
The settlement was named after the Church of St. Lawrence from the beginning of the 16th century. This is also where you can find one of the mightiest castles in the Štajerska region of Slovenia. Other interesting sights include the Šiker Farming Museum and the Wooden Tower, named after General Rudolf Maister.
The settlement is famous for the Lovrenc Lakes – the peat bog with 11 to 22 small lakes – where you can also find a "pajštva", the drying room for fruit of 200 years old. The oldest authentic farmhouse in this area, Ladejenkovo, is made completely from wood that is 300 years older. In the olden days, each farm owned a few beehives and, for this reason, they constructed the apicultural institute, where you can learn about the life of the bees and working with them.
The Štatenberg Mansion sits in the middle of the Štatenberg Regional Park. In Makola, you can visit the Belojača Cave in the vicinity of the reopened mine of black coal, Šega, which dates back to the period of Napoleon. You can discover the settlement during your walk on the Forma Viva Makole trail, full of sculptures by artists that are created to induce thinking about the co-existence of man and nature. The cultural sights also include the Dvoršak Art Gallery and the more than 200 years old Kavkler Cellar, with a magnificent ambiance that hosts many cultural events.
Miklavž is known for its burial ground from the Roman period, which includes 16 mounds, though only three are preserved due to the forest shelter. Most artefacts from the mounds are made from glass, clay, bronze and iron, which are exhibited at the Maribor Regional Museum. The Church of St. Nicholas, built in the Roman style, is one of the oldest in the area of the Dravsko Polje region, being mentioned in writing in 1382. Nature enthusiasts can visit the Miklavž Ponds with a walking path, which is located in the vicinity of the old village centre and is part of the Drava Regional Park.
The rich history of the settlement is testified by the renowned mouldings in the castle chapel from the 16th century. There is a tour of the park's washing area, where the local women still wash laundry as they did centuries ago. You can also visit the real authentic black kitchen from the 14th century by the Church of St. Barbara in the Lašek hamlet.
The unique cultural and historical as well as architectural monument from 1074 is the Jarenina Manor. The olden day farmer's life is presented at the Štibl Ethnological Museum, where they exhibit more than one hundred artefacts from the history of the Štajerska region. Another interesting sight is the Vigrin Mill, the replica of a windmill. The Dveri-Pax wine cellar continues the 800 years of Benedict wine tradition, and the contemporary Pesnica Wine Cellar brings you back to the present day with modern equipment.
- Poljčane
- Ruše
- Selnica ob Dravi
- Slovenska Bistrica
- Sveta Ana
It is interesting to visit the railroad switch station (kretniška postavljalnica), used as a signal railway and built in 1910. Take a wonderful walk through the chestnut-lined avenue, while you can learn about the cultural history from the Studenice Castle and the Studenice Dominican Monastery from the beginning of the 13th century, which is encircled by the nature science educational trail.
The name Ruše first appeared in 1091, when Count Spanheim gifted a church to St. Paul Benedicts in the Labotska Dolina valley. The Church of the name of Mary is the central cultural and sacral monument of Ruše. The exterior features Gothic aspects and the inside shines in the Baroque. The Fal Castle is known as the first higher education institute in Slovenia. Near the city centre of Ruše, you can find the unique summer theatre "Pod Goroj" with an amphitheatrical shape and incredible acoustics. Five glass workshops (glažuta) were functioning in Ruše in the 17th and 18th centuries; the longest running was the Vivat Glažuta, which exported the luxury glass abroad. The "Drava Kluža" is the remains of a wall made from broken stone, which is also renowned for protecting the locals from Turkish invasion. Lovers of nature and hiking will be impressed by the Pohorje rainforest and the mighty Veliki Šumik waterfall, which is also the largest waterfall with a non-limestone surface in Slovenia at 24 metres in height
Selnica ob Dravi includes the picturesque settlement of Sv. Duh na Ostrem vrhu; the prominent hill houses the Church of the Holy Spirit with rich altar plastics and the Chapel of St. Augustin from the 17th century. The church wall offers a beautiful and vast view of the south and west, and also the north and the Austrian side. Visit the nearby Viltuš Castle with origins that date back to 1625, which is known as the sleeping beauty of the Drava valley and stands as a monument of state importance. This is also the home of the oldest power plant on the Slovenian part of the Drava River – the Fala hydroelectric power plant, which began operating to meet the challenges of World War I. Today, it houses a museum with an old machine house. Selinca is famous for charcoal burning and "pležuh", the traditional transportation device for snow.
Slovenska Bistrica was settled on the remains of a Roman settlement. The area of the entire municipality is marked by preserved mansions and the ruins of former forts, a as well as a number of churches and markings, while the ethnological monuments testify to the work and life of the former residents. Take the Bistrica trail and visit the Bistrica Castle with a museum, the castle park, the Church of St. Martin and Romanesque fresco, the Ančnikovo Gradišče ancient settlement, Črno jezero na Pohorju, Bistriški Vintgar gorge with its Roman quarry of white marble, and the Šum waterfall etc. The healthy and natural surroundings offer opportunities for year-round activities. This region is perfect for cycling, hiking and skiing. Visit the tourist farms with excellent local cuisine or head out on the path by the wine road at the edges of Pohorje.
Sveta Trojica is a picturesque settlement in the heart of the Slovenske Gorice, which is dominated by the Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity above the Trojiško Jezero lake with three 56-metre high bell towers and a mighty monastery. The complex also features a museum library with books dating back to 1474 and a breathtaking monastery cellar of more than 700 m2, making it a facility worth visiting. From the church, we enter the ancient market square, which was historically one of the main centres of the Slovenske Gorice and a haven for more than 100,000 pilgrims annually. Later on, due to the writers residing here, among those Ivan Cankar, it became the cradle of the Slovenian Literary Movement. This place is known for the Trojiško Jezero lake and its unspoiled nature, as well as the walking trails where you can reach the Healing Park with more than 20 healing spots.
- Sveti Jurij v Slovenskih goricah
- Sveta Trojica v Slovenskih goricah
- Šentilj
The Gothic Church of St. George is first mentioned in 1388. The centre of the village is most beautifully seen while walking the Hajnič's Trail, and the nearby forest still hides the five unresearched Roman burial mounds. You can also visit an example of the city vineyard cottage from 1870 and a well next to it, the black kitchen in he Koroščeva Domačija homestead and much more on the bees and working with them in the educational apiary.
Sveta Trojica is a picturesque settlement in the heart of the Slovenske Gorice, which is dominated by the Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity above the Trojiško Jezero lake with three 56-metre high bell towers and a mighty monastery. The complex also features a museum library with books dating back to 1474 and a breathtaking monastery cellar of more than 700 m2, making it a facility worth visiting. From the church, we enter the ancient market square, which was historically one of the main centres of the Slovenske Gorice and a haven for more than 100,000 pilgrims annually. Later on, due to the writers residing here, among those Ivan Cankar, it became the cradle of the Slovenian Literary Movement. This place is known for the Trojiško Jezero lake and its unspoiled nature, as well as the walking trails where you can reach the Healing Park with more than 20 healing spots.
The Šentilj surroundings were inhabited in pre-historic times, which is seen from the Celtic Trail as well as the regional tourist centre, where you can enjoy the pre-historic exhibition and an exhibition on the Panonnic Sea and the unique "dinosaur eggs" – concretions that are recognised as a worldwide phenomenon. Head out to the surrounding paths with a desire for exploration, enjoy the nature, cross the Mura River with a Brod and catch a glimpse of the life on the border. If you are looking for entertainment during the day, visit the wine road featuring excellent wine-makers and, in the evening, enjoy the Mond Casino.