Until 1784, the hill was the site of Upper Maribor Castle (Slovene: Mariborski grad, German: Schloss Obermarburg) The castle was demolished around 1790; in the following decade its debris was used to construct a stone pyramid-like obelisk, which gave the hill its current name. In 1821 the pyramid was replaced with a chapel containing a statue of the Virgin Mary. There is a vineyard on the slopes below the chapel.

Visible remains of the castle include defensive groundworks and an unimproved well.