Skopje

The capital of Macedonia Skopje is not the most touristic destination of the country. The city has a troubled history, a few times it was completely destroyed by the earthquake. In 1963 there was another devastating earthquake and 80% of the buildings were completely destroyed. Since then the city has been rebuilt, there were few projects. In 2010, was started the last project, which received mixed reviews, even from Macedonians. 500 million euros were already spent and locals say that most of the money was stolen.

Before 1963 Skopje looked like a normal Balkan town.






What happened now - hard to say. At first glance it is a normal town with a normal waterfront.


Most likely that was the best place in the center, because basically it looks like this.


Skopje seems to set a world record for the number of sculptures in the city center. They are there everywhere, at every step. This is due to the fact that the country for a long time was not recognized as an independent state. To prove the world that Macedonia is an ancient country with many historical figures, hundreds of monuments have been created.

To be honest, this is not the best solution. There should be only few monuments, so people can remember them and learn their history.


There are a lot of bridges over the river Vardar and during the last reconstruction of the center two new were built.




Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the first Cyrillic alphabet, for some time lived on the territory of Macedonia. 24 May is a public holiday - the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius.


The biggest monument to Alexander the Great.


Lion in the fountain on the central square says - take me away from here.


Unnecessary glass buildings on the central square.




Philip II - father of Alexander the Great.


The mother of Alexander the Great with her son at different ages.


In the background Stone Bridge Hotel, the best accommodation in the city. We had a lunch there.


The church of St. Demetrios.


And this is a general view of the central square. It is very small and easy visited in 1-2 hours.


To the left is the university, built over the highway (!)


Photos we have done from the broken steps.


Typical landscape of the socialist city.


There are two, really historical attractions. First is a Stone Bridge.


View from the bridge.


Second one is a Kale Fortress, turkish heritage. It was destroyed in 1963 and is still being restored.


Near the fortress there is a large free parking. Although the residents of the city park on the sidewalks.


Fortress offer views of the city.


In the background, in the distance, visible high-rise buildings with 20 floors and more. Other countries on the seismological Balkans do not built such houses.




We also planned to visit the Millennium Cross by cableway, but the cableway at the end of October was already closed, so we just stopped on an unusual observation deck on the way there. Unusual, because you have to climb on the strange construction which is a little scary.










Getting there: there is an airport, from there by Vardar Ekspres bus ($3) or by taxi ($21).