City Shopping Mall, Maribor

City is one of Maribor's first bigger shopping malls. When it opened in December 1997, it was the biggest and most modern shopping mall in Maribor, as well as in this part of Slovenia. It replaced Merkur, the biggest shopping mall in Maribor for decades, which slowly went bankrupt at the end of the 1990s. City however was only briefly the most popular mall in town. In 2000 a newer bigger mall opened on the other side of the river Drava. It was Europark, which is still no 1 in Maribor today. City slowly lost its magic, because big shopping centers emerged all over Maribor and people start to avoid the center for shopping. Europark for example has free parking, while city doesn't. That's one of the reasons, why people generally avoid City. Usually those who work or live in the area frequent there, while others choose to shop elsewhere.

Besides shops, there's are a supermarket, post office, various cafés and restaurants as well as offices in the building. One the first floor is Panda, a local restaurant chain, famous for simple lunches and snacks and a popular spot for those who work in the area. In 2002 another similar building was built nearby and named City 2, but it's mainly used for offices.

See some photos of City Maribor:

City (on the right, in the middle) seen from the Titova cesta (Tito road).

The main area when you enter the mall.

Cafés along the escalator.

The main alley is small. There are 3 floors.

Opening hours:

Monday - Friday: 8h-20h
Saturday's: 8h-15h

[My MARIBOR page][My SLOVENIA page][Homepage][All photos by MKL, 2010]

Kolosej multiplex, Maribor

Kolosej is Maribor's first multiplex, opened in 2004. For 3 years it was the only cineplex in the city and that's why it attracted a lot of people. I remember how popular it was at first, because it doesn't only house 10 movie theaters, it also includes a night club, which was at that time the number one in Maribor, as well as bars, billiards, bowling and some shops. Then came 2007 and another multiplex was built a bit further from the old center called Planet TUŠ. Kolosej lost a lot of people, because it was smaller and had less things to offer. Soon after that the popular night club closed. The future for Kolosej doesn't look to bright. There are some plans to build a hotel and apartment building close to the building, in hope of reviving the whole area.

Kolosej was designed by the architect Janko J. Zadravec, who later complained that the building wasn't constructed completely according to his plans. I'm still not happy about that building being built at the current location near the river Drava. I feel it's totally out of place, because it doesn't connect with any other buildings in the area. The unusual thing is the facade, which is actually a fabric that covers the whole structure. That's probably a first in Slovenia. And I've never seen something like that abroad. Kolosej is probably the most controversial and outstanding piece of modern architecture in Maribor. I'm not saying the design is bad, I just think it doesn't belong in that area. It could be built elsewhere.

See some photos of Kolosej (from Aug 2010):

The main entrance to Kolosej Maribor. The front yard is small. I don't like the concrete paving.

The main entrance again.

A closeup on the fabric, which consists of some metal elements.

The inside is dark. A lift in the center, the theaters are on first floor.

Here you can buy candies and beverages.

My girlfriend playing pool with me. They have nice tables.

The western part of Kolosej with stairs leading down to the river banks of Drava. Opposite is Europark.

There's also a big underground garage in the building (650 parking spaces), but you have to pay for parking, unless you see a movie or play pool or bowling. In that case you have to ask for a free parking ticket at the counter.

[My MARIBOR page][My SLOVENIA page][Info: Source][All photos by MKL, 2010]