About this journey

The journey begins at Bleiburg station in the southern Austrian province of Carinthia, a border town whose name is inseparable from the contested events of May 1945, when repatriations of Axis-affiliated forces were carried out in the surrounding region. From here the line crosses into Slovenia, following the corridor that became the Maribor–Prevalje railway.

That line has deep roots: Maribor was connected to Carinthia by its construction around 1863, extending a rail network that had already transformed the city when the Southern Railway arrived in 1846. Maribor railway station itself predates both, having been erected in 1844 and most recently upgraded in 2021. As the train approaches the city, the setting takes shape: Maribor lies between Calvary Hill and Pyramid Hill, both surrounded by vineyards, with the Drava River running through the urban fabric and crossed by a rail bridge alongside four road bridges. The journey ends at Maribor station, the economic, administrative, and cultural centre of eastern Slovenia — a city that held the title of European Capital of Culture in 2012. The ride moves from a quiet Carinthian border town through the Slovenian interior to one of the country's most historically layered destinations.