by You don’t need to spend more than an hour in the center of Skopje to notice that the capital of North Macedonia has a serious problem with monuments. A monumental addiction, if you will. After a few minutes in town, I’m not sure if I’m in a city or a historical theme park – where every important and significant moment has been set in stone.
The obsession exists in the great Port of Macedonia; The “Gate of Macedonia”, which gives a great view of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, although it was only opened in 2012. It is a few steps away in the Parc na Laucher, the green space that is, despite its characteristic. name, there do not appear to be any women (although there are various carved figures of male soldiers, writers, politicians and revolutionaries).
And it is there, in particular, on Macedonia Square, where “Warrior On A Horse” towers to 72 feet (22m) as one of the tallest and most controversial urban sculptures in the world.
Controversial? The title of the artwork is deliberately obscure, but almost anyone knows to stick their neck up to the sunshine in southern Europe (like me), even as most of the locals walk by without a glance – the bronze military commander understands the building stallion. , high on its plinth above the ornate fountain, is thought to be Alexander the Great.
It was installed here in 2011, as part of a wider effort to claim intellectual ownership of the name “Macedonia”, and protect it from neighboring Greece (which considers it its own). But words calmed down in 2018, when the “Republic of Macedonia” agreed through the Prespa Agreement of that June to rebrand as “North Macedonia”, to distinguish itself from the Greek region of “Central Macedonia”. Since then, Alastair’s identity has been officially removed from Skopje’s most prominent work of art. Just as the “Warrior” statue is taller (95ft/29m) – directly opposite it, on the other side of the Bardair River – sure, definitely not Philip II, Alexander’s father. At least not anymore.
Some might say this is just common sense. After all, the most prolific warlord of the fourth century BC was born. and his father both in Greece as it is now known – at Pella, an ancient city whose ruins are located 25 miles west of present-day Thessaloniki. And Philip has a huge tomb at Vergina – 20 miles further south. But then, common sense has not always been a relevant factor in the recent political story of North Macedonia.
The statues are connected to an important year in the history of the city: 2014. Or, to be precise, “Skopje 2014” – the orgy of constructions made on the order of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski. The former PM, who was in power between 2006 and 2016, was an overt nationalist, intent on reclaiming a distant past for a new country – a driving force behind this local culture war. Several other heavy slabs of masonry were erected during this period, including the Macedon Gate, and two sets of crossings over the Vardar – the Bridge of Arts, and the Bridge of Civilizations – whose ornate arches are complemented by a chorus another of it. statues; composed of philosophers, actors and dramatists.
All of these additions have not aged well. Of the three gargantuan galleys that were installed on the river in 2012 – for aesthetic reasons that remain opaque – only one is still in use as a restaurant (one is abandoned, the other removed). Gruevski also had his day. After being voted out of the best job, he was sentenced to two years in prison (in 2018) for corruption, but he fled to Hungary and claimed asylum.
At least the Archaeological Museum of Macedonia, which dominates the riverfront, looks great, even if its attempts to imitate a Greco-Roman temple fall flat. Its multi-columned facade appears a little too bright, which betrays it as a 2014 innovation rather than a relic of centuries BC.
Gruevski’s expensive legacy divides opinion in Skopje, where many residents resent the money being spent on nefarious projects when schools, hospitals and roads could use the funds. In fact, the “Alexander” statue lifted shackles from the outside. “The intention, they say, is to make Skopje look like Paris,” said Danica Pavlovska, from the Society of Architects, when it was unveiled 13 years ago. “But the scale of the project for a city of this size is wrong, and frankly the pace is alarming.”
And yet, by and large, “Skopje 2014” has left a recognizable mark on one of the continent’s lesser-known capitals. And maybe it was necessary. For all of history – and there is plenty of it, none of which needs to be “borrowed” or appropriated – Skopje has only been the national capital since 1991, when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. was retiring. Even in this era of cheap short breaks and budget airlines, it’s not well known on the map. There is only one flight to it from a UK airport – the inevitable service from Luton offered by Eastern European specialist Wizz Air.
Of course, “anonymous” does not necessarily mean “anodyne”. Skopje may be small, but it is alive and well in the busiest areas. And his story is interesting. On 26 July 1963, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake ripped through the city, destroying 80 percent of it. Much of what you see now relates to the 61 years that followed this cataclysm. It is true that this means that there is a certain balance in the architecture, which was born in the socialist years in Iron-Curtain Yugoslavia. But when you read about the scale of the disaster, you can forgive the worldliness.
Moreover, its charms are worth this. Up on the hillside, on the north bank of the Vardar, the Museum of Contemporary Art has all the hallmarks of Eastern Bloc pomp and circumstance. As always – the foundation was laid immediately after the earthquake. But here in 2024, its cavernous halls and solid concrete serve as a broad canvas for a range of art and artists – from pieces by Picasso and Alexander Calder to exciting installations by 21st-century luminaries. Meanwhile, the views through the huge windows draw your attention and keep your eye, showing a city that – just a penny on the tourist radar – is no more interesting because of its lack of profile.
A must see
The Archaeological Museum is grand in grandeur but short on real substance, offering bits and pieces from Skopje’s Roman incarnation, Scupi – and a wealth of real wonders that shed light on ancient Thrace (but not to mention that Thrace was largely what it is. Bulgaria in nowadays). The Macedonian Struggle Museum goes much deeper, exploring the country’s emergence, first from the Ottoman Empire, then from the World Troubles and Cold Wars. But if you don’t fancy getting into the partisan politics of the late 19th century, it’s best to focus on the Museum of Contemporary Art (see above) – especially as a stroll will take you up to the Kale. Sixth century and originally Byzantine, but strengthened and expanded by the Ottomans when they seized control in 1392, the fortress still monitors the Vardar from raids on its northern bank – and is one of the few clear structures who survived the earthquake. .
Another station, in part, is the main train station. Built as a classic railway terminus between 1938 and 1940 – white marble and a central dome – it was badly damaged in 1963. But its right wing was saved, and it has another life as the City Museum.
If you have the time, it’s also worth a drive 10 miles south-west of Skopje, to Matka Canyon – a little-known geological masterpiece of great beauty, where the Treska River (a tributary of the Vardar) falls. Suva Gora mountain limestone.
Coolest corner
For all the vague references to Alexander the Great, it is another era – and another ruling elite – that sings sweetly in the center of Skopje. The city’s Ottoman era lasted for five hundred years (1392-1912), and it is alive and well in the Old Bazaar, the sprawling labyrinth of lanes and paths that spreads out on the north side of the Vardar. The area is at its best in the minaret of the Mustafa Pasha Mosque (an echo of 1492, and arguably the best survivor of the earthquake in the city), but it takes its vibe, not from the call to the prayer, but from the constant hum of conversation in numerous cafes and restaurants. The Bazaar isn’t necessarily a place for late night fun (although you can get cocktails at Eight Kitchen & Bar, but it’s all life here when the sun goes down – from families eating dinner to the bubbling of pipes hookah.
A signature dish
Like many parts of the Balkans, Burke is a popular meal-cum-snack; a filling, if not necessarily fancy, parcel of filo pastry filled with a variety of meats, cheese, potatoes, spinach, and sometimes all of them. Many restaurants in the Old Bazaar offer versions of it, as well as juicy grilled meats – pork and chicken – with flat bread. Pcela (whose name translates as “Bee”) is one of the best.
Largest export
The ghost of the Ottoman Empire hangs around the Bazaar (and any city bar) in form rakes, the fiery fruit brandy of the southern Mediterranean. North Macedonia considers it the national drink and prefers to flavor it with plums or apricots.
British equivalent
Pressing, Cardiff. An important city that grew around a castle on a hill; a regional capital with ambitions to go national (actually achieved, in the case of Skopje).
Fun fact
Skopje has double-decker buses, a tribute to (or, perhaps, a shameless imitation of) London – another of Gruevski’s quirky ideas to put the city on the map.
How to do it
Wizz Air (0330 9770444) flies to Skopje from London Luton, from £29 each. Double rooms at the four-star Alexander Square Boutique Hotel (00389 2 311 1141) cost from £57 per night. Balkan specialist Regent Holidays (0117 453 5461) offers a five-day “Skopje Short Break” including Matka Canyon, and a day trip to North Macedonia’s sister city of Ohrid (as well as the capital). From £935 per person (flights included).
