An interesting archaeological site in the middle of nature and a fantastic viewpoint of the entire Maribor.
How to reach the top?
Just half an hour walk from the City park, there is a 386 meters high town hill called Piramida, where the Maribor castle once used to stand. The path to the top leads from the City park through the vineyards on the hillside. On your way up you might meet cyclists, horse riders and different animal species.
The view
When on the top, you can see the Kalvarija hill with the church. And behind it, hills and mountains of Koroska. Between all green trees, Drava river. And there is, of course, the beautiful view of the entire Maribor city that you do not want to miss.
The Castle
The noble Spanheim family built the castle at the beginning of the 12th century for protection against the Hungarians. In the year 1528 the castle burnt down. Around the year 1560 it was renovated and then in 1790 it was finally pulled down. From the remains of the building materials a stone pyramid was built, which also gave the hill its name - Piramida. The only remains of the castle are a trench with a steep embankment and a well without a rim.
The Chapel
At the top of the rampart stands a classicist chapel with a stone statue of Mary dating from the year 1821. The inscription on the memorial plaque inside the chapel testifies that in the year 1821 lightening destroyed the original pyramid. Count Henrik Brandis had the chapel erected in memory of the location of the old castle.
Text sources: http://maribor-pohorje.si/piramida-piramida-hill.aspx and http://maribor-pohorje.si/blog-en/views-from-piramida.aspx
Images sources: http://www.lokalec.si/novice/otvoritev-razstave-na-piramidi/ and http://maribor-pohorje.si/piramida-piramida-hill.aspx