 In 1991 Maribor became part of independent Slovenia.Maribor, along with the Portuguese city of Guimarães, was selected the European Capital of Culture for 2012.Maribor was attested in historical sources as "Marpurch" circa 1145 (and later as "Marchburch", "Marburc", and "Marchpurch"), and is a compound of Middle High German "march" 'march (borderland)' + "burc" 'fortress'.