Old vine - Maribor
(the oldest vine in the world)
The Old vine is the most significant world record that Maribor holds. It is the pride of the city and Slovenia. Stara trta (in Slovenian) is the oldest living example of a noble vine on our planet. It was planted more than 400 years ago on the left bank of river Drava and is a wonderful exhibit of nature's resilience surviving a number of revolutions and two world wars.
The oldest visual records of a house on Vojasniska Street 8 with the old vine are from 1657 and 1681. For many years the house was in very poor condition and most Mariborians were worried that plant would simply die. However, a massive reconstruction of this part of Maribor in the 1980's and a recent opening of the Old Vine House restored the glory of this ancient beauty.
The inside of the house has been transformed into a museum dedicated to the vine and winegrowing in the Maribor wine region. The collection includes ampelographic pictures of different sorts of vines in Stajerska and other exhibits.
The most important events associated with the vine are pruning in the early spring, a ceremonial grape harvest at the beginning of October and St. Martin's Day in November. Well, there are many other events throughout the year but a biannual Wine Queen coronation is among the most important events in Maribor in general.
The vine yields a noble wine called Modra Kavcina (Blue Kavcina). During the last decade the vine has yielded around 35-55kg of grapes annually, so up to one hundred artistically designed bottles are filled with the wine every year.
Among the most famous people to have received a bottle of its wine are Pope John Paul II., the Japanese Emperor Akihito and American President Clinton. I'm telling you, you've got to be almost supernatural to get this wine!
Scions of the vine are growing all around the world: Vatican vineyards, Danish royal castle of Fredensborg, the Japanese town of Kanigawa, the hillsides of the Andes in Argentina, near Barcelona in Spain and many other places around the world.
In 2004 the Old vine was officially recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest in the world, making Mariborians tremendously proud of their city and its famous plant.
Our first visit to the museum was during Easter holidays of 2008. It's a cosy little place with plenty of history and... lots of different sorts of wine!
The Old Vine House Museum on the banks of
the river Drava at Lent.
One of the museum's exhibits- the wooden wine flask.
The exhibition room in the Museum.
.
Just for a second I was a wine queen.
The history of the world's oldest vine.
The infamous bottle of The Old Vine's wine.
The museum is the Honorary Seat of Slovene
and International Associations, sworn to honouring
wine and the wine culture.
The vine is certainly a unique jewel of Slovene and world natural heritage and a wonderful exhibit of natural beauty. Just imagine, after more than 400 years this magnificent plant is still producing large quantities of grapes and looks as if it will never stop!
Address:
Vojasniska street 8
2000 Maribor
Tel: +386 2 251 51 00
e-mail: stara-trta@maribor.si
Opening times:
Tuesday - Sunday: 10am - 6pm
Monday: closed
Entry: free
| Guide to Festivals and events in Maribor in 2011 | ||
| Date | Time | Performance |
| 4. Mar 2011 19.-25. Sept 25 Sep 2011 | Pruning of the old Vine (location: Lent) Old Vine Festival (location: city centre) Grape harvest of the Old Vine (location: Lent) | |
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