Housed inside 15th-century Maribor Castle, this museum has one of the richest collections in Slovenia, though much of it is not on show. The most interesting section is the ground floor with archaeological and ethnographic exhibits, including 19th-century beehive panels with biblical scenes from the Mislinja and Drava Valleys, models of Å tajerska-style hayracks and wax ex voto offerings from the Ptuj area.
Upstairs are rooms devoted to Maribor’s history and its guilds and crafts, an 18th-century pharmacy, and altar paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Taking pride of place are the exquisite statues by Jožef Straub (1712–56) taken from the Church of St Joseph in Studenci. The magnificent rococo staircase near the exit, with its pink walls, stucco work and figures arrayed on the bannisters, is visible from the street when the museum is closed.