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Hello, distant neighbors I'm surprised that my hometown doesn't have a proper presentation on the Slovenian forum. I'll try to change that in future. I hope you won't mind that I'm writing in English (of all south Slavic languages, the Slovenian is the only one that I'm having difficulties in understanding).

Let me start with short introduction of the city of Skopje:

Skopje (Macedonian: Скопје) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic center. It was known in the Roman period under the name Scupi.

Skopje is located on the upper course of the Vardar River, and is located on a major north-south Balkan route between Belgrade and Athens. It is a center for metal-processing, chemical, timber, textile, leather, and printing industries. Industrial development of the city has been accompanied by development of the trade, logistics, and banking sectors, as well as an emphasis on the fields of culture and sport. According to the last official count from 2002, Skopje has a population of 506,926 inhabitants; according to unofficial estimates for more recent period, the city has a population of around 600,000 inhabitants.

Map of Skopje's municipalities

Skopje is located in the Skopje statistical region of northern Macedonia, in the centre of the Balkans, approximately halfway between Belgrade and Athens. The Vardar River, which originates near Gostivar, flows through the city then flows south passing the border into Greece and eventually flowing into the Aegean Sea.

The city covers an average length of 23 km from east to west and 9 km from north to south. Skopje is located at an elevation of 225 m above sea level.

Let me start with a panorama of Skopje (not full panorama, on the picture you can see only 70% of the city). The picture is taken from the mountain Vodno. The highest point of the mountain is at Krstovar peak, on 1066 metres. In 2002, on Krstovar peak the Millennium Cross was built, the biggest christian cross in the world with height of 66 meters.

The Millennium Cross

There is a ropeway from the middle of the mountain Vodno to the Millennium Cross. The ropeway includes 28 regular gondolas for eight persons and two VIP gondolas for four people. The route is 1,750 meters long, with the ride lasting 6-8 minutes.

 

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Few night photos

 

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Few more panoramas...

To be continued...

 

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The fortress Kale, one of the symbols of the city.

a view from the fortress

another panorama from the fortress

 

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The so called Gate Vlae residential buildings

Yadran square, near the square Macedonia, in the heart of the city. The building on the left is the Spanish embassy, and the one on the right is Hotel Yadran.

The Orthodox church "St. Clement Ohridski"

The Catholic church "Sacred Heart of Jesus"

Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Skopje was built in 1492 by Mustafa Pasha, a high ranking individual under Sultan Bajazit II (who ruled from 1481 to 1512) and a vizier under Sultan Selim I (who ruled from 1512 to 1520). It overlooks the old bazaar of Skopje and is very close to the Kale Fortress. It remains much as it was when originally built. It is the most important Muslim religious monument in Macedonia from the time of the Ottoman Empire.

 

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Skopje airport

 

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Memorial House of Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa was born in Skopje, and the Memorial House is located on the very location of the once Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, where Mother Teresa was baptized. The look of the building raised lot of controversy, and many people think that this is an architectural monster.

interior

 

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The Feudal tower, built in 15th or 16th century. It's located near the Memorial House of Mother Theresa.

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

 

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Skopje's clock tower, built in the period between the years of 1566 and 1573, the first clock tower in the Ottoman Empire.

an older picture

and a newer one

 

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The Macedonian Opera and Ballet

To be continued...

 

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The Macedonian parliament (Sobranie), located in the center of the city. It was recently reconstructed and renewed.

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

BTW, feel free to ask any questions or to comment about Skopje...

 

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Another symbol of Skopje, the Stone bridge. The bridge is 214 m (702 ft) long and 6 m (20 ft) wide. The guardhouse has recently been reconstructed.

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

The current Stone Bridge was built on Roman foundations under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror between 1451 and 1469. Throughout the centuries, the Stone Bridge was often damaged and then repaired. There is historical evidence that it once suffered during the great earthquake of 1555 which heavily damaged or destroyed four pillars.

In 1944, explosives were placed on the bridge by Nazis. When Skopje was liberated, the activation of the explosives was prevented and the bridge was saved from destruction.

Some executions have also taken place on this bridge, such as the execution of Karposh in 1689.

A picture of the place where Karposh was executed

 

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Skopje's old town (The Old Bazaar; Macedonian: Стара Чаршија, Stara Čaršija from the Turkish: Çarşı meaning marketplace) is the largest bazaar in the Balkans outside Istanbul.

The earliest known documented sources that point out to the existence of a merchant quarter on the bazaar's territory date back to the 12th century. During the Ottoman rule with the city, the place underwent a rapid development to become city's main economic and merchant centre, evidenced by about 30 mosques, numerous caravanserais and hans, as well as other Ottoman buildings and monuments.

The bazaar was heavily damaged by the earthquakes that occurred in 1555 and 1963, and the destructions caused during the First and the Second World War. Subsequently, it was reconstructed on several occasions and nowadays represents the only remaining cultural monument in the Republic of Macedonia, which has kept its multicultural heritage of different civilizations.

 

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The Ottoman architecture is predominant in the Old Bazaar, although remains of the Byzantine architecture are evident as well, while the most recent reconstructions lead to the application of elements specific to the Modern architecture.

On 13 October 2008, the Macedonian Parliament adopted a law recognising the Skopje Old Bazaar as a cultural heritage of particular importance for the country with a permanent protection.

 

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Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

 

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Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

Skopje by cinxxx, on Flickr

To be continued...

 

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Square in the district of Aerodrom. The monument with the plane is built here because this was the location of the old Airport. That is why this municipality is named Aerodrom (Airport in Macedonian language).

 

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Park of the lakes, municipality Aerodrom

 

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The brutalist architecture in my hometown.

This is the HQ of the Telecom

This is the building of the Hydro-meteorological institute

Some details from the university complex St. Cyril and Methodius

The student dormitory Goce Delchev

The National bank of Macedonia

The main post office (on the right side of the picture you can see the Telecom building)

High school Nikola Karev

MANU (Macedonian academy for science and arts)

 

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The main city park in fall