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Skopje is the capital of North Macedonia and it is an experience not found anywhere else in the world. All over the city center you will find newly erected buildings that are monumentally inspired by columns and porticos from ancient Greece and Rome.
Popularly, in recent years, a city has been erected that has not been seen for nearly 2,000 years. The temple style and ancient references are everywhere, and it is like walking around in a mix of bygone times, modern entertainment and a European metropolis. Countless statues and monuments stand among the impressive buildings of modern classicism.
The new Skopje has been erected on the ruins following the earthquake that left much of the city desolate in 1963. A large-scale reconstruction was initiated, and many houses from the Yugoslav era are interfering with the street scene today; just as modern architecture does it in the form of, for example, churches and the house that stands as a monument to Mother Theresa.
The Stone Bridge is a beautiful bridge that spans the river Vardar in central Skopje. The bridge is 214 meters long and 6 meters wide, and it leads from the square Ploshtad Makedonija/Плоштад Македонија to Skopje’s old bazaar area.
The bridge was built in the years 1451-1469 on existing Roman foundations. Over the years, it has been partially destroyed several times and then rebuilt. During World War II, the Germans had placed explosives under it in order to destroy it during retreat, but the bridge was spared despite the retreat. It has for many years been one of the city’s absolute landmarks and can thus also be seen in Skopje’s city coat of arms.
On the bridge you can see a memorial plaque for Karposh, who was executed right here in 1689. Karposh was the leader of a Christian rebellion against the Ottoman Muslim rule of the time. After several battles, the Ottomans won and executed Karposh and others in Skopje.
Ploshtad Makedonija/Плоштад Македонија is the central square of both Skopje and Macedonia. It was built in the 1920s and 1930s and is situated nicely on the banks of the river Vardar. Originally it did not have a name until it was named Marshal Tito/Маршал Тито after the Yugoslav head of state who ruled for decades in the latter half of the 20th century.
The square is the place where many historical and cultural events have taken place. More recently, the Republic of Macedonia was proclaimed here in 1991 by the country’s first president, Kiro Gligorov.
There are many sights around Ploshtad Makedonija and countless fountains and statues on it. Centrally and dominantly, a fountain has been constructed around a colossal equestrian statue of Macedonian Alexander the Great. In 2010, two other equestrian statues were erected, depicting respectively Goce Delčev and Dame Gruev, both of whom played leading roles in the liberation from the Ottoman Empire. These two stand between Alexander the Great and the Vardar River.
You can also find other statues and monuments in the square, just as there are a number of larger buildings here. However, most of the then buildings were destroyed in connection with the earthquake that hit the city in 1963.
Of the new statues, you can see one of Tsar Samuil, who ruled Bulgaria in 976-1014. His capital was Ohrid, and among his merits was inflicting a defeat on the Byzantine Emperor Basil II. By the river stands a monument to another Byzantine emperor, Justinian I, who was born in Skopje in 483. He reigned from 527-565. Along the river you can also see a statue of the so-called Boatmen from Thessaloniki. They were a group that brought bombs to explode in the Greek city in order to draw the attention of foreign countries to the oppression, not least of Macedonia, practiced by the Ottoman Empire.
The square today is a result of the reconstruction of Skopje after the earthquake in 1963. The architecture is mainly classicist in modern interpretation, and it truly has a unique character with partly the monuments in the square and partly the view from here over the river to the string of new buildings.
You should also make time to experience the square in the evening, when the monument to Alexander the Great changes color and the fountain below leaps to the accompaniment of music. All this in a wonderful atmosphere with rich folk life in the season.
The Old Bazaar in Skopje is the second largest bazaar in the Balkans, surpassed only by Istanbul’s bazaar. The bazaar area begins a short distance from the Stone Bridge over the Vardar River, and it continues in a small labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys that go up and down the cozy quarter.
The neighborhood’s history as a market area goes back to at least the 12th century, where there are written sources about the area. During Skopje’s Ottoman era, the bazaar boomed and became the city’s leading trading post during this time. From this era there are several mosques, baths and the so-called caravansarai, which were hostels for traders passing through.
Today, the bazaar exudes atmosphere, and it’s just a matter of exploring the shops and the other attractions you can find here. You will also find a multitude of places to eat in almost everywhere in the streets, and a good idea for lunch, for example, is a shopska salad with a grilled kebab.
Church of the Ascension of Jesus is a relatively small church that was built after the great fire that ravaged Skopje in 1689. The church dates either from the late 17th century or the early 18th century, while its current appearance comes from a rebuilding in the 19th century.
The church is not least worth seeing because of the beautiful iconostasis, which dates from 1824. It is richly decorated with biblical motifs, icons and much more. The iconostasis also stands in a smaller church room, which in its arrangement is special among many churches.
Another attraction is that in the courtyard of the church complex you can see Gotse Delčev’s sarcophagus. Gotse Delčev became a Macedonian national hero in the country’s freedom struggle against the Turkish Ottomans. Every year on the day of his death, May 4, delegations and visitors come here in his memory.
At the top of Skopje is the city’s ancient and impressive fortress, which was built overlooking the area and the river Vardar. The first fort was built on the site in the 5th century under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, and the building materials were, among other things, stones from the town of Skupi, which had collapsed into rubble after an earthquake in 518.
The next larger facilities here were established in the 900s and 1000s. By this time Justinian’s fort may have been destroyed by various wars and battles. Fighting continued for centuries after the new fort, with Byzantines, Serbs, Bulgarians and Turks fighting over the strategically important area around the Vardar.
Little is known about the history of the fortress through the many centuries from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, when an earthquake destroyed part of the facility. The impressive walls were rebuilt, and it is a beautiful sight that dominates the city today.
There is easy access to the fort, which, despite its location at the top of the city, is not particularly far up in the heights. However, it is still enough to get a classy look over the nearby bazaar, to the classicist Skopje 2014, to the Macedonian National Stadium and to the mountains surrounding the city to name selected looks. You walk along the inside of the fortress walls and in some of the towers on the way around the ridge.
Porta Makedonija/Порта Македонија is a 21 meter high triumphal arch that was built in 2011-2012. It was built to mark North Macedonia’s first 20 years as an independent nation, and its exterior is decorated with a series of scenes from Macedonian history.
The Arc de Triomphe was erected as part of the government’s plan called Skopje 2014, which, in a large-scale construction phase, was supposed to recreate some of the classical exterior of the city before the extremely devastating earthquake struck in 1963 and destroyed about 70% of Skopje.
The Archaeological Museum of North Macedonia is a place where you can see fine collections representing different eras in the country’s history. The strategically important Skopje has been ruled by many different cultures, and this is reflected in the varied collections.
The large museum building was constructed in Greek classicism as part of the Skopje 2014 urban plan, which rebuilds the city center with many classicist buildings in the style frequently used before the 1963 earthquake. Construction started in 2009 and the exterior was largely completed in 2012, while the museum itself could open in 2014.
In addition to the archaeological museum itself, several other institutions are located in the building. This applies to North Macedonia’s constitutional law, Ustavniot sud/Уstavniot суд, and the country’s national archives Drzhavniot arkhiv/Državniot archiv.
Saint Clement of Ohrid Cathedral Church is the largest Orthodox church building under the Macedonian Church. It was built from 1972 and inaugurated on 12 August 1990 to mark the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Saint Clement of Ohrid. The architecture is a modern and exciting variant of the traditional domes from Byzantine churches, and under the arches and the dome hides a very beautiful church room.
In the interior of the church, the room itself is worth seeing, and this also applies to Gjorgij Danevski and Spase Spirovski’s colorful iconostasis, the archbishop’s throne and frescoes with a large image of Jesus as the most striking.
Outside the church stands the site’s 45 meter high church tower, and here is also a statue of Dositheus II, who with a term of office from 1958-1967 was the first archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia. Precisely this title is reserved for the head of the Macedonian Church.
Kapan An is one of the hostels called caravansarai that sprung up in Skopje’s old town as accommodation for, not least, business travelers. There were 44 rooms with room for guests and their caravans in the Kapan An hostel.
Kapan An was built in the mid-15th century on the initiative of the Ottoman general and governor Isa-Beg Isaković. Its name comes from Arabic, where the word kabban refers to the scale used when selling goods at the entrance to the hostel.
You can experience the wonderful atmosphere in Kapan An in an excellent way, as part of the old hostel is now set up as restaurants and cafes.
Museum of the Macedonian Struggle is a museum dedicated to Macedonia’s long struggle for freedom. The struggle started during the Ottoman era in the 19th century and ended with the declared independence from Yugoslavia on 8 September 1991. On a visit, you get a detailed tour of the solidly constructed historical overview.
The museum was built from 2008 as part of the Skopje 2014 plan, and it was opened on the 20th anniversary of the country’s independence. It is a nicely decorated museum, where you are already impressed by the beautiful vestibule under the large and finely decorated dome.
The Art Bridge is a bridge that was part of the Skopje 2014 plan, which included a large number of modern classicist constructions. In the plan, two bridges over the river Vardar were included in the completed construction project.
The art bridge is 83 meters long, and it was built with 29 sculptures. Of these, 14 stand on each side of the bridge, while the last one was placed centrally. The sculptures are statues of great personalities from Macedonian art and culture; for example the writers Živko Čingo and Vasil Iljoski.
The Mother Teresa Memorial House is a place dedicated to the memory of the Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, who hails from Skopje. She lived in the city in the years 1910-1928.
The building was built on the exact spot where Mother Teresa’s baptistery used to be. The memorial house opened in 2009, and in addition to housing a number of cultural functions, it has the architectural feel of a sacred work.
The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady has its roots in Skopje’s Bulgarian congregation and the fact that the Ottoman building regulations had been loosened in the early 1800s. Restrictions on Christian churches allowed the architect and painter Damjan Jankolov to start construction in 1809, which was at a time of Bulgarian-Greek struggle for an independent Bulgarian church, and thus this Bulgarian church was a strong symbol for the Bulgarians of the city.
Damjan Jankolov’s sons came to complete the building, which was dedicated to the Holy Mother of God on May 1, 1835. The church is a three-nave basilica with an extension to the west. The beautiful iconostasis is decorated with both wood carvings and marble.
When the Bulgarian Exarchate was established in the 1870s following the adoption of Sultan Abdulaziz, the first Bulgarian bishop used Skopje and this church as a seat. When Skopje joined Yugoslavia, the Serbian Church was adopted here and later the Macedonian Orthodox.
The church was the seat of a bishop until the devastating earthquake in 1963, which also hit Our Lady’s Nativity Church, which was completely reconstructed 2005-2008. The church room is elegant and bright and quite worth seeing.
In the square in front of the church you can see three large pillar monuments, each with its own statue. They, like many other of the city’s large monuments and statues, were erected in connection with the Skopje 2014 project.
Saint Pantaleon Monastery is one of several places with churches and monasteries that can be visited in the vicinity of Skopje. Today, the central attraction is a Byzantine church building that was built from 1164. All around are other buildings in the monastery complex, which is surrounded by a wall.
In the church there are beautiful wall paintings, which are fine examples of the Byzantine church art of the time. However, an earthquake struck in the 16th century, after which a part had to be rebuilt. The church’s marble iconostasis is the original, but it lost part of its decoration during the earthquake.
Skopje Aqueduct is a structure with a length of 386 meters and a height of up to 16.5 meters. There are 55 arches of the work, which was in use as a water main until the 18th century.
The history of the aqueduct is not known for sure, but according to some theories it was built under Emperor Justinian I in the 5th century to carry water from the source of Lavovec to the new settlement of Justinian Prima. However, there are also theories about construction in the 1st century and the 16th century respectively. The aqueduct stands as the only one in Macedonia.
The town of Kruševo is the highest in Macedonia with a location at over 1,350 meters above sea level. It is historically important as the first in the country to rebel against Turkish rule, from which they freed themselves after several hundred years of Ottoman rule.
Kruševo is today a cozy town in the mountains, and in several places you can find beautiful houses in traditional architecture. There are also several monuments here, and Kruševo is a winter sports town with its location in the heights.
The Millennium Cross is a 66 meter high cross that was erected on top of Mount Vodno immediately west of the center of Skopje. It stands thus, so that one can clearly see it from all over the Macedonian capital. The cross was built from 2002 and was financed by the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the country’s government and by private donations. It represents 2,000 years of Christianity in Macedonia and in the world.
The cross itself is interesting to see, as is the trip up there and also the view over Skopje and the surrounding area. The most exciting way to get to the cross and thus the top of the mountain is by bus from Skopje to the mountain cable car, Žičnica Mileniumski krst/Žičnica Mileniumski krst, which along a 1,750 meter long route brings visitors up the mountain slopes.
Lake Ohrid is a natural gem in the region between North Macedonia and Albania, and the city of Ohrid is the largest city around the lake. Its historical beginnings started with Greek settlers who gradually established the city of Lychnidos/Λύχνιδος. From the 5th century, slaves immigrated to the area, which they gradually took over.
The first time the name Ohrid, which is Slavic in origin, was mentioned in the year 879. Later, Ohrid was, among other things, the Bulgarian capital, before the Macedonian city grew and developed with its good location on various trade routes.
Today, Ohrid is a beautiful and interesting city on Lake Ohrid, located on the border between North Macedonia and Albania. Among the things you can see are some of the former 365 churches and chapels that were located in the city. There was one for every day, and that was one reason for the nickname as the Jerusalem of the Balkans.
However, Lake Ohrid, Ohridsko Jezero/Охридско Езеро, is the city and the region’s big draw. It is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes and is home to around 200 endemic species. The lake is also on UNESCO’s list of world natural heritage.
Lake Ohrid is up to 288 meters deep and its area is 358 km². A good two-thirds of it is in North Macedonia. The lake and nearby Lake Prespas were formed geotectonically about five million years ago on the western side of the Dinaric Alps. Corresponding lakes were geologically normally filled up by sediments and thus disappeared as lakes. Lake Ohrid’s depth and low influx of sediments are attributed to the reason for its survival.
With regard to the geology and the presence of the many endemic species, the lake can be compared to, for example, Lake Baikal in Russia. With snowy mountains as a backdrop, clear water and fantastic panoramic views from, among other things, monasteries, a trip to Lake Ohrid is a scenic and unforgettable experience.
Pristina is Kosovo’s main city and all the sights of the city are within easy walking distance. This allows you to walk through the city’s various historical and architectural periods in a short time; for example, from the Old Town to the Pristina created during the Yugoslav era.
A good place to get an overview of it all is from the cathedral tower that rises above the city. Pristina’s streets give a good impression of Kosovo’s different faiths with Serbian Orthodox, Catholics and Muslims as dominant congregations. There are also various interesting monuments such as a statue of American Bill Clinton and the letters NEWBORN.
Bul. Krste Petkov Misirkov/бул. Крсте Петков Мисирков
Macedonia Square/Плоштад Македонија
Ul. Sv. Kiril in Metodij br.13/Ул. Св. Кирил и Методиј бр.13
ramstoremall.com.mk
ul. Ljubjanska br.4/ул. Љубљанска бр.4
skopjecitymall.mk
Bul. Kocho Racin br.1/бул. Кочо Рацин бр.1
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ул. Macedonian, Old Bazaar area
Зоолошка градина
Булевар Илинден
zooskopje.com.mk
Macedonia Square/Плоштад Македонија
Skopje Fortress/Скопско Кале
Vero Center
бул. Кочо Рацин бр.1
vero.com.mk
The history of Skopje can be traced back to the millennium BC Archaeological finds at Skopje’s Kale Fortress show that unidentified people lived here in prehistoric times between Late Neapolitan and Early Bronze Age. Scientists believe they can even date back to earlier than the year 4000 BC Actual documentation and records of and in the Skopje region date from the 300s BC. It is believed that the people of the time lived by primitive cultivation of the land and cattle breeding.
From the 300s BC the Dardans settled here, and today’s Skopje (Skupi) became the capital of Dardania, extending from Naissus to Bylazora in the 100th century BC.
With the expansion of the Roman Empire to the east, the Macedonian area also came under Rome. Even before the birth of Christ there may have been Roman soldiers in the region, but it was not until the 100th century AD that Skopje by the name of Scupi became part of the Roman Empire. In the year 86, Skopje gained the status of colonia and it became the capital of the new province of Moesia Superior.
Roman times became a period of flourishing. Roman administrators reorganized public life and began lifting culture and art to unprecedented heights. The city was also Latinized, and the Roman colonists gained civil rights.
Skopje became an important city that was strategically well located on crossroads in the region. Interesting archaeological finds from especially the Bardovci area show that there was a Roman theater and other institutions from major Roman cities.
Skopje and the current Macedonian area also became Christian quite early. With the legalization of Christianity through the edict in Milan in the year 313, Scupi became the seat of a bishop.
Among other things, Scupi’s bishop participated in the first ecumenical council held in Nicea in 325. Several other accounts show that the bishops and Christianity had an impact on society and on the arts.
With the division of the Roman Empire into an East Roman and a West Roman part in the year 395, Skopje came under the Byzantine emperors of Constantinople.
The city continued to develop as a typical Late Roman town with administrative palaces, a theater, public baths, fortifications, paved squares and streets, water supply, churches and so on. It was a relatively peaceful period, however, interrupted by invading tribes and people like Goths and females.
In 518, development was interrupted when an earthquake struck and destroyed both the city of Scupi and almost all of Macedonia. The sudden catastrophe put an end to civilized life in Scupi and buried its built-up achievements for centuries. Fortunately, most of the population had escaped the certain death due to a circumstance that turned out to be bad luck. Citizens had expected a tribal attack and had therefore fled to the surrounding hills, Skopska Crna Gora, the previous night.
Instead of a reconstruction of Scupi, people moved to other nearby places and established themselves there. It was not least about the birthplace of Emperor Justinian I, Taoresium, where numerous splendid buildings were erected in his honor; palaces, homes, fountains, squares etc.
Justinian I founded the city of Justinian Prima in 535, and it became archbishopric after taking over after Scupi. Justinian Prima is associated with today’s Skopje, which got its present name from Slavic tribes who migrated and settled in the Macedonian area after Justinian’s death in 565.
For centuries, Skopje and the Macedonian area became the scene of political struggles between Byzantines and Bulgarians. The city changed hands several times, and in the years 972-992 was the capital of the first Bulgarian empire. The Bulgarian Empire fell in 1018, after which both Skopje and Bulgaria became part of the Byzantine Empire; still with Skopje as the capital of the region.
In the 13th century there was again a fight for Skopje between Bulgarians and Byzantines, who in 1282 had to surrender power and the city to the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin. Skopje also quickly became an important city for the Serbs, and Milutin’s grandson, Stefan Dušan, made the city the Serbian capital, and he was crowned tsar here in 1346.
Stefan Dušan died in 1355, and after his time the Serbian Empire disintegrated, resulting in fragmentation of the declining kingdom. The Serbs’ fall also temporarily ended Christianity as the country’s religion, with the Islamic Ottoman Empire conquering Skopje and the area in 1392.
The Muslim Ottoman government came to Skopje for 520 years, and the Turks called the city Üsküb. With the Ottomans came new institutions such as mosques and Turkish baths, and the Ottoman architecture also made its mark on Skopje. The city also developed commercially during this period; among others, strengthened by many Sephardic Jews who immigrated from Spain. Several other buildings also date from this time; eg the city’s famous and centrally located bridge, Камен мост [Kamen Most].
In the first centuries under the Ottomans many of the mosques that can still be seen today were built and many churches were demolished or decorated as mosques. Construction activity stopped some time in 1555 when another earthquake struck the city. At that time, 40,000-50,000 inhabitants lived in the city.
Üsküb had started at a time of decline, which, in addition to less trade and administration, caused the population to decline dramatically. In the 19th century, there were thus only about 10,000 inhabitants left in the former somewhat larger city.
The turnaround came with the railroad, which opened in 1873, finishing the line to Thessaloniki. The trajectory brought trade and new prosperity and growth. In a few decades, the population had risen to around 30,000, and Üsküb had gained importance in the region. These were disintegrating times in the Ottoman Empire, and the people were increasingly fighting for their freedom from Turkish rule. The Ilinden uprising in 1903 became the first major uprising against the regime, which finally fell in 1912, when the Serbian army won over the Ottomans.
There were several acts of war in the years 1912-1913, which temporarily ended with the endorsement of the Serbian regime in Skopje. However, with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Kingdom of Bulgaria quickly occupied Skopje. World War I ended in 1918, and during the period 1918-1939, Skopje and Macedonia were part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, consisting mainly of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.
The Kingdom of that time was destroyed during World War II, with German troops occupying Skopje on April 7, 1941. Later, the occupation turned to Bulgarian forces. Yugoslavia was at war, and in September 1944 the communists took power in Bulgaria, thereby changing their war effort. On November 13, Bulgarian military and Macedonian liberation forces were able to besiege Skopje, who could soon join Yugoslavia as the capital of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia.
About 150,000 people lived in Skopje at the end of World War II. It was a figure that turned into around 600,000 in Skopje time in Yugoslavia, ending with the country’s independence in 1991.
Skopje grew through the socialist era as one of the country’s main cities and through the industrialization and urbanization that occurred throughout the country. The biggest setback for the population and for the city came on July 26, 1963, when an earthquake shook the city to unfamiliarity. The quake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, and the epi-center was quite close to Skopje’s city center, and the effects were almost devastating. More than 1,000 people were killed, while about 200,000 became homeless, with about 80% of the city being graveled. A great reconstruction stood in front of the city and the country, and of famous buildings, not least the many neoclassical houses of the 18th-18th century disappeared.
After the 1963 earthquake, much of Skopje was rebuilt in contemporary brutalism, which is seen in some places in Yugoslavia. A rebuilding period came after the Macedonian independence in 1991, when some institutions were to be established or expanded in the following period.
However, the biggest and most visible development has happened in recent years through the so-called Skopje 2014 program, which was adopted in 2010. Skopje 2014 is intended as a reconstruction of Skopje’s former classicist architecture and buildings. About 20 major buildings, bridges and countless monuments have been erected, and the city center has been transformed into a brand new and impressive monument of features of Macedonian history.
Skopje, North Macedonia[/caption]
Overview of Skopje
Skopje is the capital of North Macedonia and it is an experience not found anywhere else in the world. All over the city center you will find newly erected buildings that are monumentally inspired by columns and porticos from ancient Greece and Rome.
Popularly, in recent years, a city has been erected that has not been seen for nearly 2,000 years. The temple style and ancient references are everywhere, and it is like walking around in a mix of bygone times, modern entertainment and a European metropolis. Countless statues and monuments stand among the impressive buildings of modern classicism.
About the Whitehorse travel guide
Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
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Language: English
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Porta Makedonija/Порта Македонија is a 21 meter high triumphal arch that was built in 2011-2012. It was built to mark North Macedonia’s first 20 years as an independent nation, and its exterior is decorated with a series of scenes from Macedonian history.
The Arc de Triomphe was erected as part of the government’s plan called Skopje 2014, which, in a large-scale construction phase, was supposed to recreate some of the classical exterior of the city before the extremely devastating earthquake struck in 1963 and destroyed about 70% of Skopje.
The Archaeological Museum of North Macedonia is a place where you can see fine collections representing different eras in the country’s history. The strategically important Skopje has been ruled by many different cultures, and this is reflected in the varied collections.
The large museum building was constructed in Greek classicism as part of the Skopje 2014 urban plan, which rebuilds the city center with many classicist buildings in the style frequently used before the 1963 earthquake. Construction started in 2009 and the exterior was largely completed in 2012, while the museum itself could open in 2014.
In addition to the archaeological museum itself, several other institutions are located in the building. This applies to North Macedonia’s constitutional law, Ustavniot sud/Уstavniot суд, and the country’s national archives Drzhavniot arkhiv/Državniot archiv.
Saint Clement of Ohrid Cathedral Church is the largest Orthodox church building under the Macedonian Church. It was built from 1972 and inaugurated on 12 August 1990 to mark the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Saint Clement of Ohrid. The architecture is a modern and exciting variant of the traditional domes from Byzantine churches, and under the arches and the dome hides a very beautiful church room.
In the interior of the church, the room itself is worth seeing, and this also applies to Gjorgij Danevski and Spase Spirovski’s colorful iconostasis, the archbishop’s throne and frescoes with a large image of Jesus as the most striking.
Outside the church stands the site’s 45 meter high church tower, and here is also a statue of Dositheus II, who with a term of office from 1958-1967 was the first archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia. Precisely this title is reserved for the head of the Macedonian Church.
Kapan An is one of the hostels called caravansarai that sprung up in Skopje’s old town as accommodation for, not least, business travelers. There were 44 rooms with room for guests and their caravans in the Kapan An hostel.
Kapan An was built in the mid-15th century on the initiative of the Ottoman general and governor Isa-Beg Isaković. Its name comes from Arabic, where the word kabban refers to the scale used when selling goods at the entrance to the hostel.
You can experience the wonderful atmosphere in Kapan An in an excellent way, as part of the old hostel is now set up as restaurants and cafes.
Museum of the Macedonian Struggle is a museum dedicated to Macedonia’s long struggle for freedom. The struggle started during the Ottoman era in the 19th century and ended with the declared independence from Yugoslavia on 8 September 1991. On a visit, you get a detailed tour of the solidly constructed historical overview.
The museum was built from 2008 as part of the Skopje 2014 plan, and it was opened on the 20th anniversary of the country’s independence. It is a nicely decorated museum, where you are already impressed by the beautiful vestibule under the large and finely decorated dome.
The Art Bridge is a bridge that was part of the Skopje 2014 plan, which included a large number of modern classicist constructions. In the plan, two bridges over the river Vardar were included in the completed construction project.
The art bridge is 83 meters long, and it was built with 29 sculptures. Of these, 14 stand on each side of the bridge, while the last one was placed centrally. The sculptures are statues of great personalities from Macedonian art and culture; for example the writers Živko Čingo and Vasil Iljoski.
The Mother Teresa Memorial House is a place dedicated to the memory of the Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, who hails from Skopje. She lived in the city in the years 1910-1928.
The building was built on the exact spot where Mother Teresa’s baptistery used to be. The memorial house opened in 2009, and in addition to housing a number of cultural functions, it has the architectural feel of a sacred work.
The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady has its roots in Skopje’s Bulgarian congregation and the fact that the Ottoman building regulations had been loosened in the early 1800s. Restrictions on Christian churches allowed the architect and painter Damjan Jankolov to start construction in 1809, which was at a time of Bulgarian-Greek struggle for an independent Bulgarian church, and thus this Bulgarian church was a strong symbol for the Bulgarians of the city.
Damjan Jankolov’s sons came to complete the building, which was dedicated to the Holy Mother of God on May 1, 1835. The church is a three-nave basilica with an extension to the west. The beautiful iconostasis is decorated with both wood carvings and marble.
When the Bulgarian Exarchate was established in the 1870s following the adoption of Sultan Abdulaziz, the first Bulgarian bishop used Skopje and this church as a seat. When Skopje joined Yugoslavia, the Serbian Church was adopted here and later the Macedonian Orthodox.
The church was the seat of a bishop until the devastating earthquake in 1963, which also hit Our Lady’s Nativity Church, which was completely reconstructed 2005-2008. The church room is elegant and bright and quite worth seeing.
In the square in front of the church you can see three large pillar monuments, each with its own statue. They, like many other of the city’s large monuments and statues, were erected in connection with the Skopje 2014 project.
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