Ljudski Vrt
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Ljudski vrt () is a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
stadium in
Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
, the second-largest city of
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. The stadium has a
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 11,709. It has been the home of
NK Maribor Nogometni klub Maribor () is a Slovenian professional Association football, football club based in Maribor, Slovenia. It competes in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top tier of the Football in Slovenia#League system, Slovenian football league system ...
since their formation in 1960, with the exception of a short period in early 1961. The stadium was originally the home of several other football teams based in Maribor, including
Rapid Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
and
Branik Branik (; , ) is a village in western Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, a ...
. A prominent feature of the stadium is the main grandstand with a concrete arch, which is protected by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia as an architectural and historical landmark. The stadium has four stands: South Stand, East Stand, North Stand, and Marcos Tavares Stand (formerly West Stand). The record attendance of 20,000 was set at a match between Maribor and Proleter in 1973, which was before the ground's conversion to an
all-seater stadium An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Amer ...
in 1998. In addition to being the home of Maribor, the stadium is also occasionally used by the Slovenian men's national football team. Ljudski vrt was also one of the venues of the
2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship The 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the eleventh edition of UEFA's European Under-17 Football Championship under its current age grouping. Slovenia hosted the tournament between 4 and 16 May. An appeal by the Hungarian Football Feder ...
and the
2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021) was the 23rd edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (26th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth Association ...
. Since its opening in 1952, the stadium has gone through various renovations and reconstructions. In 1994 the stadium received floodlights, and the wooden benches on the grandstand were replaced by plastic seats. In 1999, when Maribor qualified for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
group stages for the first time, the stadium underwent further renovations and adjustments. However, the biggest renovation took place between 2006 and 2008, when three of the four stands (South, East and North) were demolished and completely rebuilt. The West Stand was renovated between 2020 and 2021.


History


Background

The area, known today as Ljudski vrt, was originally located outside the city walls of
Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
and served as a cemetery for centuries. In 1873, a public park was planted in the area after which the stadium received its present name. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area became a recreational centre of the city, and records from 1901 show that tennis was already being played there at that time. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the area served as a shooting range. As in other Slovenian towns, football boomed in Maribor after the war with the establishment of new clubs, most notably I. SSK Maribor, which was founded in 1919. The first recorded football activity in the area took place in the late 1900s, when the Marburger Sportvereinigung, a club made up exclusively of high school students, acquired a grass field and converted it into the first real football field. In March 1919, another club, SV Rapid Marburg, was founded. In January 1920, Rapid signed a contract with the Maribor's city authorities to acquire a football field in the area for the next ten years. In the same year, I. SSK Maribor also obtained a football field in the same area. The pitch was completely renovated and the inaugural football match was played on 9 May 1920, when Rapid played against Slovan from
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
and lost 4–2 in front of 1,500 spectators. The ground also had a small stand, which was later destroyed during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Other clubs that played in the area of today's Ljudski vrt were Sportklub Merkur, Deutsche Sportklub, SK Hertha, and SK Rote Elf.


Construction and early years

Renovation of the sports infrastructure in Ljudski vrt was the main goal of the new sports organization in most of the late 1940s and early 1950s, and on 12 July 1952, the stadium was opened. At the time, the main pitch was fully enclosed by banking, with concrete terraces and seats located on the west side. By 1958, concrete terraces were built along the entire embankment around the pitch, which served as a standing area. Milan Černigoj was the main architect of the stadium. In the late 1950s he was joined by Boris Pipan, with whom he designed a new main grandstand on the west side of the pitch. Construction began in May 1960 and was completed in 1962, with the new club offices, dressing rooms and gyms located beneath it. A prominent feature of the grandstand is the concrete arch, which is protected by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia () as an architectural and historical landmark. The primary user of the stadium and the new club offices was to be NK Branik, however, they disbanded in 1960 due to the food poisoning affair, when the club's officials allegedly bribed a hotel waiter to deliberately poison the players of the visiting team,
NK Karlovac NK Karlovac 1919 is a Croatian football club based in the town of Karlovac. Karlovac plays their home matches at Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek. History Traditionally lower-level minnows, the club's most successful period in the Yugoslav foo ...
, before the decisive play-off match for promotion to the
Yugoslav Second League Yugoslav Second League ( Bosnian: ''Druga savezna liga,'' Croatian: ''Druga savezna liga'', Serbian: ''Друга савезна лига'', Slovenian: ''Druga zvezna liga'', Macedonian: ''Втора сојузна лига'', ''Vtora sojuzna l ...
. After that, the city of Maribor was left without a professional club, which was one of the reasons why
NK Maribor Nogometni klub Maribor () is a Slovenian professional Association football, football club based in Maribor, Slovenia. It competes in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top tier of the Football in Slovenia#League system, Slovenian football league system ...
was established on 12 December 1960. Maribor found its home at Ljudski vrt, and on 25 June 1961, the club played its first match at the stadium, while the main grandstand was still under construction. As most of the stadium had only concrete standing terraces, it was possible to accommodate as many as 20,000 spectators. During the 1967–68 season, when Maribor competed in the
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
for the first time, the club renovated the dressing rooms, bathrooms and sanitary facilities, which were in poor condition and inadequate for the top division level.


1990s renovations

Ljudski vrt remained in almost the same state for another thirty years without major developments until the early 1990s. In 1994, the wooden benches on the main grandstand were replaced by plastic seats. The stadium also received renovated dressing rooms and appropriate telecommunication connections. In the same year, on 24 August, the stadium received four
floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibility adequate for safe task performance, ornament ...
pylons and the first match at night was played between Maribor and
Norma Tallinn Norma Tallinn was an Estonian football club. Norma Tallinn became the first Estonian champions after the Soviet Union collapse, they went on to defend their title next year, in 1993. Norma also won the Estonian Cup in 1994. The club was relegate ...
as part of the
1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The 1994–95 season of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was won by Zaragoza in the final against defending champions Arsenal, the Spanish club winning thanks to a last-minute goal from midfielder Nayim with a shot from 40 yards. Moldova joined the comp ...
, won by Maribor 10–0. In 1998, the concrete stands were abolished and replaced by a seating area as part of the ground's conversion to an
all-seater stadium An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Amer ...
. A year later, Maribor became the first and, , the only Slovenian club to qualify for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
. As a result, Ljudski vrt received further renovations, as the VIP area of the main grandstand, dressing rooms and club offices were all renovated. The terraces ring on the east side of the stadium was enlarged by 2,000 seats, bringing the total capacity to 10,030. In 2000, an irrigation system was installed, together with a new
artificial grass Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...
training ground.


2008 reconstruction

Maribor's results in domestic and international competitions in the 1990s were the reason why political and sports officials in the city began to think about a new stadium. In 1997, a tender was held and the "Project Ring" was selected with a plan for a complete renovation and modernisation of the stadium. However, due to financial problems, it took nearly a decade for the project to become a reality, when in 2006 the
City Municipality of Maribor The Urban Municipality of Maribor (), also the City of Maribor (, acronym MOM), is one of twelve urban municipalities in Slovenia. Its seat is Maribor, the second-largest city in Slovenia. The population of the municipality was 113,393 in 2024. I ...
and MŠD Branik, with the help of the
Government of Slovenia The Government of the Republic of Slovenia () exercises executive (government), executive authority in Slovenia pursuant to the Constitution of Slovenia, Constitution and the laws of Slovenia. It is also the highest administrative authority in Slo ...
and the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, finally raised enough funds to start the first stage of the project. In the first phase of improvements, worth around €10 million, the existing uncovered stands surrounding the pitch from the north, east and south were demolished and replaced with new covered stands. Construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2008. New stands with a total capacity of 8,500 seats were opened on 10 May 2008 in a league match against Nafta Lendava. The match was played in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,435 spectators, with Maribor winning the game 3–1. The second phase of the project was carried out between 2009 and 2011, and saw the completion of the premises under the East Stand, which includes new dressing rooms, two gyms and a new boiler room.


West Stand renovation

In 2014, the stadium barely passed UEFA stadium regulations for international competitions due to the insufficient condition of the West Stand. In August 2015, the first plans to renovate the West Stand were announced. Three years later, in August 2018, NK Maribor and the City Municipality of Maribor presented the entire documentation of the proposed renovation. The new stand was designed by OFIS Architects and was expected to be completed by September 2019. However, the renovation was later postponed to 2020 due to incorrect calculations of project costs, which rose from €5 million to €8 million. The refurbishment finally started in June 2020 and was completed by mid-2021. As part of the renovation, all seats were replaced. Other changes included new underground corridors, elevators, camera platforms, entrances, and landscaping. The arched roof has retained its original appearance. The new capacity of the West Stand is 3,265 seats, and the total capacity of the stadium was reduced to 11,709. There are 651 VIP seats in the stand, of which 120 are in VIP boxes. In addition to the West Stand, the previously unfinished premises under the North and South stands were completed, which now include a media press centre and dressing rooms and warehouses for the football academy. The total investment costs, including the West Stand and the premises under the North and South stands, amounted to approximately €10 million. The West Stand was renamed as the Marcos Tavares Stand on 14 May 2022, in honour of Marcos Tavares, a longtime captain and the club's all-time most capped player and top goalscorer.


Other uses


International football

Ljudski vrt has hosted a total of 24 international matches of the Slovenia national team. The first was a
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
on 27 April 1994, which Slovenia won 3–0. The first competitive game was played on 7 September 1994 in the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers, when Slovenia hosted
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. On 18 November 2009, the stadium hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off match between Slovenia and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, which Slovenia won 1–0 in front of 12,510 spectators and thus qualified for the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
. The most recent international to be hosted at Ljudski vrt was Slovenia's 2–1 defeat against Russia on 11 October 2021. The stadium also occasionally hosts the Slovenia under-21 team. In 2012, the stadium was among the four venues that hosted the
2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship The 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the eleventh edition of UEFA's European Under-17 Football Championship under its current age grouping. Slovenia hosted the tournament between 4 and 16 May. An appeal by the Hungarian Football Feder ...
. Ljudski vrt also hosted five matches of the
2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021) was the 23rd edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (26th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth Association ...
, including the semi-final match between
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
.


Non sporting events

Aside from sporting uses, the stadium has been occasionally used as a music venue for concerts and other cultural performances. One of the first events at the renovated stadium was the musical '' Zorba'' in June 2008, performed by the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, which had an attendance of around 6,000 people. Ljudski vrt was also the venue for the annual ''Piše se leto'' concert, organised by the '' Večer'' newspaper. In September 2009, Ljudski vrt hosted the main ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the arrival of
Anton Martin Slomšek Beatification, Blessed Anton Martin Slomšek (26 November 1800 – 24 September 1862) was a Slovene Catholic Church, Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Lavant from 1846 until his death. He served also as an author and poet as wel ...
in Maribor and the tenth anniversary of his
beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...
. At the ceremony,
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
Santos Abril y Castelló Santos Abril y Castelló (born 21 September 1935) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church. After a career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, he held a number of positions in the Roman Curia and from 2011 to 2016 was Archpriest of the ...
gave a speech in front of about 10,000 spectators. In November 2018, a live televised debate was held at the stadium among 17 candidates for the new mayor of Maribor. In July 2023, Maribor hosted the 17th European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, with Ljudski vrt hosting the opening ceremony.


Records

The highest attendance recorded at Ljudski vrt is 20,000, for Maribor's match against Proleter in the first leg of the promotion play-offs for the Yugoslav First League, on 8 July 1973. The stadium also shares the record with the
Stožice Stadium Stožice Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was designed by Sadar + Vuga architects and is the biggest football stadium in the country. It lies in the Bežigrad district, north of the city centr ...
for the highest attendance at a Slovenian League match. This was set in the final round of the 1996–97 season, on 1 June 1997, when there were 14,000 spectators in the match between Maribor and
Beltinci Beltinci (; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Böltinci'', or ''Belatincz'', ) is a town in the Prekmurje region of northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Beltinci. Črnec Creek, a tributary of the Ledava, flows through the settlement. ...
, where Maribor secured its first ever league title. In addition, Ljudski vrt is the record holder for the highest average attendance in the Slovenian League season with 5,289, also set in 1996–97.


Transport

Public transport to the stadium includes rail and bus, but there is a lack of dedicated parking spaces. Several bus lines run directly past the stadium. Bus lines 3, 7, 8, 12, 18, 19, and 151 stop less than from the stadium, at the bus station located on Gosposvetska street. The stadium is about 15 minutes walk away from the Maribor bus station and the Maribor railway station, which lies on the
Pan-European Corridor Xa The Corridor Xa is a branch of the Pan-European Corridor X. It runs north–south between the cities of Graz and Zagreb through three countries: Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. The road route of Corridor Xa is concurrency (road), concurrent with ...
(connecting
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
to
Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...
) and on the Pan-European Corridor V, which connects
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
. The Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport is about south of the stadium.


See also

* List of football stadiums in Slovenia


References


External links


Ljudski vrt
at Šport Maribor
Ljudski vrt
at NK Maribor {{Maribor Football venues in Slovenia Sport in Maribor Multi-purpose stadiums in Slovenia NK Maribor Monuments of designed nature of Slovenia Sports venues completed in 1952 1952 establishments in Slovenia 20th-century architecture in Slovenia Yugoslav Slovenian architecture