Invisible Maribor: Archduke John, Father of Meranovo
»Loyal to everything old, yet open to everything new.«
8 January 2022–31 March 2022
Meranovo Estate
»... A beautiful day, the setting sun and peace. God protect this glorious country, I thought to myself, in Your hands is the peace and happiness of this gentle countryside. You made this country beautiful and populated it with good people …« (from the archduke Johannes’ diary)
On 8 January 2022 we opened a hybrid museum exhibition Archduke John, Father of Meranovo, which is part of a pilot project of the RUK Network Invisible Maribor, implemented by KIBLA2LAB. The exhibition, which is the first in a series of Maribor commemorations marking the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Archduke John to Meranovo and Maribor, will take you through the history of the estate in a different way.
INVITATION (PDF)
In 1822, Archduke John of Habsburg-Lorraine bought the estate that is nowadays known as Meranovo. It was named after his son, Count Franz of Meranovo. At great expense, he turned it into a model wine-growing estate. He introduced the Rhineland grape variety, which created the opportunity to raise the quality of viticulture in the Podravje region. In 1826, the remarkable first successes were already evident at the harvest, which Archduke John personally attended. In 1830, the Austrian Emperor Franz I, who was also John's brother, and his wife Caroline Augusta paid a visit to the Archduke and his wife Anna Plochl on the estate.
The vineyards became so renowned and famous that in 1832, a wine school was founded on the property in what is now known as Hrastje, emphasizing the importance of practical education. These efforts culminated in the establishment of the Styrian Regional School of Fruit Growing and Winemaking in Maribor in 1872. The great achievement of the systematic interplay between agriculture, culture, research, and education was when the Riesling from Meranovo was selected as a first-class wine at the Great International Exhibition of Agricultural, Industrial, and Artistic Products in Paris in 1855.
Through artistic processes and ambient installations, we explore and present these themes in new ways, from physical objects to the experience of the latest technologies.
< Leopold Kupelwieser, Archduke John in jacket with green lapels, 1828, oil on canvas, 66 x 52,8 cm. Kept at Neue Galerie Graz Universalmuseum Joanneum, Austria, inv. no. I/2184. Photo: N. Lackner © UMJ. Postproduction: KIBLA2LAB.
Opening hours:
Wednesday–Friday: 1–5 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
for organized groups by prior appointment (kibla@kibla.org or peter.kramer@um.si)
Admission:
Adults: 3,00 €
Children, Youth (7–18 years): 1,50 €
Family ticket: 7,00 €
Groups (11 people and more): 2,00 € / person
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KIBLA in cooperation with the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Maribor.
Meranovo Estate
Vrhov Dol 14, 2341 Limbuš
Photo: Damjan Švarc
Opening photo: Boštjan Selinšek and Damjan Švarc
