Orpheus Monument

This magnificent marble monument, most likely created in the 3rd century, is probably the tomb of a Poetovio official. The five-metre-high monolith most likely still stands on the very spot where the Romans erected it. In the Middle Ages, the monument, adorned with scenes from the story of Orpheus, was used as a pillory. Standing in front of the City Tower is an almost five-metre-high ancient funerary slab. It was the largest in the Roman provinces of Pannonia and the neighbouring Noricum. In all likelihood it stands on the site of its discovery.

On the central relief, Orpheus is depicted playing the lyre in grief for the lost Eurydice, which is why it became known as the Orpheus Monument. The ancient mythical singer, seated on a rock and dressed in eastern attire, is surrounded by wild and domestic animals listening to his music.

In the Middle Ages the monument served as a pillory — a pranger. The monumental monolithic stele is today a symbol of the Roman and modern city on the Drava.