Maribor stories: Monte Bello

The area along Koroška cesta (Carinthian Road), opposite the current spa and medical center Fontana, was once called Monte Bello. Until the 18th century, it was here where executions happened and the city gallows stood.

The executed criminals were also buried on the site. The location was marked by a wooden cross and two cypresses even after World War II. For a long time the area was called "Na gavgah" (On the gallows) and in Franciscan cadaster from 1824 this area is also called "Galgenfeld" (German for gallows field). The execution site was clearly carefully selected. The gallows, where the corpses of criminals were left hanging for several days, had been built on an elevation near Koroška cesta, one of the main roads leading into or from the town. Thus visible from afar, the gallows were a reminder to any potential criminal that Maribor would not treat them lightly and that a harsh judgment ("krvava rihta") awaited them.