The Old Vine is the oldest grapevine in the world, roughly 440 years old, and it still bears fruit every single year. Growing in the heart of Maribor on the Lent riverside, it stands as a living symbol of the city and its centuries-old winemaking tradition.

At first glance it looks like a modest climbing plant, but a closer look reveals something remarkable - its 25 cm thick trunk branches out at a height of two meters into horizontal shoots supported by a wooden trellis, stretching up to 15 meters in length. The variety, known as modra kavčina or žametna črnina, is admired for its vigorous growth, abundant fruiting and strong resistance to disease. A stroll along the Drava riverbank in Lent, where the vine grows against the wall of an old house, is a lovely experience in any season - shaded by leaves in summer, surrounded by harvest activity in autumn, and quietly charming in winter.

How to get there

• Maribor city centre, Vojašniška 8 in the Lent district - a short walk from the Old Bridge and main square, easy, accessible to everyone

Practical information

• Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2004 as the oldest grapevine in the world
• The house at Vojašniška 8 and the vine itself are protected as a cultural monument of local significance
• The vine's age was determined through core sampling and microscopic analysis

Every year a small symbolic batch of wine is made from the Old Vine's grapes, bottled in tiny flasks and given to the city's most distinguished guests - a living monument that still bears fruit today.