Maribor stories: For whom the bell tolls?

Church bell towers in the Middle Ages often served also as watchtowers since they provided an excellent platform for observing the surroundings and to warn people of attacks. But in Maribor, this was a little different.

In 1325, a watch tower was erected next to the parish church. This location was selected mainly because it was in the centre of the old town, which at the time was surrounded by the defence wall. From the tower it was possible to effectively watch the surrounding area and lead defence of the town in the event of attacks.

The first bells were installed almost two hundred years later and after the tower had been expanded. Since then it has been used also as a church bell tower. When attacks no longer represented a threat to Maribor, the tower was used primarily to detect a different type of danger that preyed on Medieval towns every day. Between the 14th and 18th century, Maribor was hit by as many as 11 major fires. Not even the tower was spared and had to be rebuilt repeatedly. Its current appearance is from 1792 the level with the balcony and a small flat for the city watchman were added.

In 1924 Antonia Weiss was appointed the last sentinel. In those times it was highly unusual for a woman to be selected to perform such an important duty, but in the previous years, Antonia had often stepped in for her father-in-law and had experience with watchman's duties. Her position was abolished in 1933. This happened 18 months before Antonija was due to retire, and the city council decided she was eligible for financial support in the meantime. In today's terms something quite unimaginable.