Maribor was attested in historical sources as Marpurch c. 1145 (and later as Marchburch, Marburc, and Marchpurch), and is a compound of Middle High German march 'march (borderland)' + burc 'fortress'.

In modern times, the town's German name is Marburg an der Drau (pronounced [ˈmaʁbʊʁk ʔan deːɐ̯ ˈdʁaʊ̯]; literally, 'Marburg on the Drava').

[7][8][9] Archbishop of Salzburg (1164–1555) Habsburg Monarchy (1555–1804) Austrian Empire (1804–1867) Austria-Hungary (1867–1918) State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (1918) Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) Nazi Germany (1941–1945; annexed) SFR Yugoslavia[10] (1945–1991) Slovenia 1991–Present The oldest known remnants of settlement in the Maribor area date back to the 5th millennium BC, at the time of the Chalcolithic.

During that period, Roman agricultural estates known as villae rusticae filled the area around Radvanje, Betnava, Bohova, and Hoče.

[11] An important trade route was also established in the area, connecting Celeia and Flavia Solva in one direction with Poetovio and central Noricum on the other.

[16][17] The town began to grow rapidly after the victory of Rudolf I of the Habsburg dynasty over King Otakar II of Bohemia in 1278.

In the battle that became known as the Siege of Maribor, a 100,000-strong Ottoman army under the leadership of Suleiman the Magnificent attacked the town, which was defended only by the local garrison and its citizens.

[14] The first daily Slovenian newspaper, called Slovenski narod, was established in 1868 on today's Slomšek Square (Slomškov trg).

[24] On 4 April 1883, the first electric light in Slovene ethnic territory was installed on Castle Square (Grajski trg).

[28] In World War I, the 47th Infantry Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army was based in the city and also fought on the Isonzo front.

[30] After the collapse of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Maribor was claimed by both the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and German Austria.

On 1 November 1918, a meeting was held by Colonel Anton Holik in the Melje barracks, where it was decided that the city would be part of German Austria.

Ethnic Slovene Major Rudolf Maister, who was present at the meeting, denounced the decision and organised Slovenian military units that were able to seize control of the city.

On 27 January 1919, Austrian Germans gathered to await the United States peace delegation at the city's marketplace were fired upon by Slovenian troops.

For his actions in Maribor and later in the Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia, Rudolf Maister is today considered a Slovenian national hero.

The first act of resistance in Maribor and occupied Slovenia occurred only three days after Hitler's visit, when Slovene communists and SKOJ members burned two German cars.

[47][48] Maribor was the site of a German prisoner-of-war camp from 1941 to 1945 for many British, Australian, and New Zealand troops who had been captured in Crete in 1941.

[49][50] In 1944, the largest mass rescue of POWs of the war in Europe took place when 105 Allied prisoners from the camp were freed by Slovene partisans in the Raid at Ožbalt.

[57][58] The first clash between the Yugoslav People's Army and the Slovenian Territorial Defence in Slovenia's war of independence happened in nearby Pekre and on the streets of Maribor, resulting in the conflict's first casualty.

[59] After Slovenia seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991, the loss of the Yugoslav market severely strained the city's economy, which was based on heavy industry.

Average temperatures during the city's warmest month (July) exceed 20 degrees Celsius, which is one of the main reasons for the Maribor wine tradition.

At the start of the 21st century, plans were made for a new modern business, residential and entertainment district, called the Drava Gate (Dravska vrata) and nicknamed the Maribor Manhattan.

The project includes many new exclusive residential apartments, offices and conference halls, a green and recreational space, and other structures.

The footbridge and the river embankments will be built in the near future, but the art gallery was replaced with a cultural center MAKS, which is currently under construction.

[73] From late spring 1941, after Lower Styria was annexed by the Third Reich, the Jews of Maribor were deported to concentration camps.

The city is the location of the University of Maribor, established in 1975,[74] Alma Mater Europaea, and several other higher education institutions.

[77] Every year the festival attracts theatre, opera, ballet performers, classical, modern, and jazz musicians and dancers from all over the world.

The alternative scene of Maribor is situated in the Pekarna Cultural Centre, located in a former military bakery area in the Magdalena District.

NK Maribor has won the domestic title a record 16 times[81] and has participated in the UEFA Champions League group stage on three occasions, in 1999, 2014, and 2017.

[86] It was presumed that Maribor would also host the 2013 Winter Universiade, but the Government of Slovenia refused any financial support for the project.