Once upon a time, there was a little city located on the side of river Vardar and it is believed to have a settlement from 4000BC. In those days, the city was called Skupi and the people lived happily until its destruction in the devastating earthquake of 518AD.
The aftereffects of the earthquake was acutely felt and gradually, the people abandoned this location as they were very scared of such a tragedy striking the city again. After about 10 years, only one man had the courage to settle back in these grounds. Over a period of time, the place was inhabited again and many historical buildings were built one by one. The city was occupied and liberated by Byzantines, Serbs, Bulgarians etc. and was preferred by many rulers due to its strategic location.
One of the fascinating things I noticed about Skopje was all the construction and the new buildings, mostly by the riverfront. Much of the city’s existing buildings seem to date from the 60s and 70s after the 1963 Earthquake. Skopje was devastated by the natural disaster and so those building were likely created out of necessity and with little consideration for style or aesthetics.
Despite its big revamp and move to modernization, Skopje still has a great sense of history about it. One of the big monuments to that is the impressive Kale Fortress that you can see from much of the city. The fortress traces back to the Byzantine rulers of the 6th century.
From the old fortress, one gets a good view of the Gradski Park Arena, the home stadium of the local football team FK Vardar and the national football team.
Below the fortress lies the equally historic Old Bazaar which has been the city’s centre of commerce since the 12th century. You do get a sense of its importance as you walk through its streets. One other historic landmark is the Stone Bridge that leads from Macedonia Square towards the bazaar.
Walking around Skopje, one thing becomes immediately clear – they like their statues. The biggest has to be the gigantic monument of Alexander the Great on horseback in the centre of the city. The monument really is so large and detailed that it grasps your attention.
There are several statues surrounding the main square and plenty more over the river, like the touching mother and child fountain. I guess it is the favorite past time or indulgence of the government. Skopje is also the birthplace of Mother Teresa.
The Millennium Cross is a 66-metre tall cross situated on the top of Vodno Mountain above Skopje. It is one of the tallest crosses in the world. It was constructed to serve as a memorial for 2,000 years of Christianity in Macedonia. It reminded me of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio overlooking the city.
One image I clicked near the Stone Bridge did not leave my mind for a long time. In a ship themed restaurant, the well-off enjoyed fine dining and in the foreground, this poor fisherman tried to catch a fish to feed his family. Or probably he was catching fish to sell it to the same restaurant - how the the rich and poor coexist in close quarters!
Skopje has a city feel to it and it is best to stop here for a day trying to get your bearings before moving on to wonderful places in the country like the Matka canyon, Ohrid, Mavrovo or Bitola.
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