Maribor is the second-largest city in Slovenia with about 95,500 inhabitants, it's also the largest city of the traditional region of Lower Styria and the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor.

Maribor was first mentioned as a market near the castle Castrum Marchburch ("March Castle") in 1204, and received town privileges in 1254. It began to grow rapidly after the victory of Rudolf I of the Habsburg dynasty over King Otakar II of Bohemia in 1278. Maribor withstood sieges by Matthias Corvinus in 1480/1481 and by the Ottoman Empire in 1532 and 1683.

Maribor has a humid continental climate, bordering on oceanic climate. Average temperatures hover around zero degrees Celsius during the winter. Summers are generally warm. 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.

Many historical structures stand in Maribor. Of the remains of city walls surrounding the old downtown, the most prominent are the Judgement Tower, the Water Tower, and the Jewish Tower. Maribor Cathedral was built in the Gothic style in the 13th century. Maribor Synagogue was built in the 14th century, and is the second oldest synagogue of Europe. Today it serves as a centre for cultural activities. Other prominent Medieval buildings are Maribor Castle, Betnava Castle, and the ruins of Upper Maribor Castle on Pyramid Hill. Town Hall was constructed in the Renaissance style, and the Plague Column in the Baroque style.

The city hosts the University of Maribor, established in 1975, and many other schools.

Every June, the two-week Lent Festival (named after the waterfront district called Lent) is held, with hundreds of musical, theatrical and other events. Every year the festival attracts theatre, opera, ballet performers, classical, modern, and jazz musicians and dancers from all over the world, and of course many visitors. There is also mime, magic shows are being held and acrobats perform during the festival.

Maribor is known for wine and culinary specialities of international and Slovene. There are also many popular restaurants with Serbian cuisine. The Vinag Wine Cellar (Vinagova vinska klet), with the area of 20.000 m2 and the length of 2 kilometres, keeps 5,5 millions litres of wine. The house of the oldest grapevine in the world (Hiša stare trte) at Lent grows the world's oldest grapevine, which was in 2004 recorded in Guinness World Records. The grapevine of Žametovka is about 440 years old.

With its more than 500,000 inhabitants, the Bavarian city of Nuremberg is one of the largest cities in the state of Bavaria. It is home to the River Pegnitz, which flows through the city and then flows straight through the Old Town. The city was founded in the early Middle Ages around the year 1000 to 1040 and is therefore one of the oldest cities in Germany. It gained international popularity with the Nuremberg Christmas Market, which counts around two million visitors a year.

The sights of Nuremberg

The  State Theater Nuremberg: The State Theater Nuremberg is the largest theater in the city and was founded in 1905. It is easy to see from a distance because of its axis. The operetta "Don Giovanni" by the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart belongs to the opera and itis on the list of regular theater performances.

The Toy Museum Nuremberg was founded in 1971 and is a historic patrician house from the 16th century. The visitors can learn about the cultural history of toys from ancient times to modern times.

St. Lorenz: The church of St. Lorenz was built in the Middle Ages and is named after the town patron, the Holy Lorenz, who watches over Nuremberg. The two double towers and the nine-meter wheel windows are the most striking features of the ecclesiastical structure. The sound that can be heard from the church is produced by 17 bells and three organs with 12,000 pipes.

The Beautiful Fountain: The Beautiful Fountain is part of the Historic Mile of Nuremberg and one of the most famous sights of the city. It is located next to the Town Hall on the Main market and due to its large eight rings is easy to spot. Two of the rings are rotatable and if you rotate one yourself, your wish will come true,as the legend has it.

The White Tower: The White Tower is the last gate tower of the former city fortress and is located on the Ludwigsplatz. In the vicinity of the tower is the Carousel of marriage, a beautiful fountain which consists of bronze figures, which tell about in various presentations the marriage life with all its ups and downs.

The Nuremberg Town Hall: The Nuremberg Town Hall is located in the Old town and is a baroque building. It was built in the 16th century and is open for tourists. The hole jails in the cellar of the town hall are especially worth seeing, where visitors can learn how the prisoners spent their time here.

The Nuremberg Castle: The Nuremberg Castle is the landmark of the city and includes the Kaiserburg and Burggrafenburg. The history of the castle dates back to the year 1105, when it was a temporary accommodation of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. The visitor can have a nice view of the Old town of Nuremberg and learn about the emperors and kings during guided tours.

The Nuremberg Egg: The Nuremberg Egg is a 293-meter-high telecommunication tower, which has gained its name through a tower basket in the form of an ice. Since 1991, it has not been accessible to visitors, although a viewing platform and a restaurant had been built for this purpose.

Experience Nuremberg in a friendly way and combine the visit of the traditional Old town with the enjoyment of typical Franconian specialties in various pubs.