Exhibition on history of winemaking along Slovenian-Croatian border opens in Maribor

Dubbed Wine at the Border, the exhibition focuses on the geographical areas covered by the Slovenian archives in Maribor, Ptuj and Celje, and the Croatian archives of Medžimurje, Varaždin and Zagreb.

The exhibition lends insight into the history of tending soil and vineyards, of winemaking, of wine selling and consuming, following the narrative of the song Rodovnik Vina (Wine Pedigree) by Tomaž Pengov.

A vast majority of the documents will be new even to experts in the field, the Maribor Regional Archive said in a press release before the opening.

The show features documents from administrative, judicial, commercial, ecclesiastical and private sources, as well as maps, postcards and photographs in different languages and alphabets.

A total of some 150 documents are on display at the Water Tower venue on the left bank of the Drava river in Maribor old town. The documents vary in age from the Middle Ages to modernity. The oldest document on show is dated to 1436.

Running until 21 November, the exhibition is the continuation of cooperation among the six Slovenian and Croatian archives, which has in the past explored towns and train travel along the border.

"The innovative approach of the archives is reflected in the concept of putting the documents into context of the shared space along the border. The archives try to manage and present the projects as if the border did not exist."

People on both sides of the border have always been connected and friendly, the press release notes, adding that crossing the border was very frequent and did not have a significant effect on everyday life.