Skopje – An evening walk through the capital of North Macedonia

The visit to Skopje was made during a press trip with NAITM (National Association for Incoming Tourism of Macedonia), but, as always, everything written here reflects only my personal thoughts and opinions.

The Vardar River is slowly beginning to darken as we begin our guided walk through the center of Skopje. From my hotel Holiday Inn, it is only a few minutes' walk before the center of Skopje begins to show itself – or perhaps rather put on a show. Because that is exactly what the city does. It plays. It poses. It wants to be seen. Because Skopje is not like other cities. What will meet me on the walk will turn out to be something very unique.

Bridge of Art and the pirate ships

First comes the bridge with the old men. Bridge of Art is lined with row upon row of bronze sculptures – writers, artists and historical figures looking out over the river. There are almost too many statues for it to feel like a normal bridge. But this is just the beginning.

Along the river's edge lie the strange pirate ships moored in the middle of the city. Today they serve as restaurants and hotels, but their presence raises more questions than it answers. Skopje has never had a coast, let alone any pirates to ravage. Yet they lie here as if they always belonged on the Vardar River.

In 2010, the controversial project was launched Skopje 2014, a gigantic investment that would give the capital a new identity. Hundreds of millions of euros later, the city has now received monuments, fountains, neoclassical facades and over a hundred statues.

Critics say the result is a ridiculous historical backdrop, where newly built facades hide worn-out houses and where antiquity mixes with baroque in a way that sometimes feels more like an amusement park than the Balkans. Some claim that Skopje in 2014 cost as much as 5 billion kronor. A staggering sum for a poor country with high unemployment. But still, I can't help but be fascinated by the result as I stand here in the twilight, looking out over the illuminated city.

Kameni Most – Stone Bridge

We soon reach the old stone bridge, Kameni Most, the city's true symbol. The bridge was built during the Ottoman era, probably in the 15th century, and has connected the two sides of the city for centuries. It is simple. It is worn. It is authentic. Trade caravans and weary travelers passed here long before today's new monuments were erected around the square.

Macedonia Square with Alexander the Great

On the other side of the bridge, the Macedonia Square out and in its middle rises something that you can't close your eyes to. The statue is enormous. The rider on the horse has no name on the pedestal – it's not needed. Everyone knows that it is Alexander the Great, the great pride of North Macedonia and one of history's most disputed legacies.

Alexander was born in the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, whose territory is now divided between several countries. That makes him a figure that no one really wants to let go of. Both North Macedonia and Greece have long fought over the right to call Alexander their son. The naming dispute between the countries, which was only recently resolved, was ultimately about just that. Who owns Macedonia’s history? Skopje has decided. The answer is cast in bronze, ten meters in the air, illuminated against the dark sky in front of me.

The monuments are densely packed around the square. I don't think I've ever been in a city with so many statues. Most of them are also younger than many of the trees around them. But if you look behind the grand facades, you'll discover something else. Several buildings still bear clear traces of the earthquake of July 26, 1963. Over a thousand people died and around 80 percent of the city's buildings were damaged or destroyed. Entire neighborhoods disappeared and hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless.

What rose from the ashes was an international project. Help poured in from all over the world, and Japanese architect Kenzo Tange was commissioned to design the new city. Skopje became something unusual – a city shaped by an international will to build something new from the ruins.

That will is harder to see today. When the Skopje project was launched in 2014, it turned out that the resources were mainly going to monuments and decorative facades, while houses that were still ruins had to wait. Sometimes they stand side by side – the polished backdrop and the broken reality behind. The contrasts are great in Skopje.

Macedonia Street and Mother Theresa

We leave the square and follow Macedonia Street south, along the city’s lively pedestrian street where the cafes are starting to fill with young people and the evening light softens against the cobblestones. It was on this street that Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born in a simple house in 1910. The world would later know her as Mother Teresa. The family was Albanian Catholic, the city belonged to the Ottoman Empire and the girl who grew up here would one day become one of the world’s most recognizable figures – not primarily in Skopje, but among the very poorest of Kolkata.

Now everyone wants their piece of Mother Teresa. Albania highlights her ethnic roots. North Macedonia her birthplace. India the life's work she devoted decades to. Here on Macedonia Street is a modern museum and a memorial house where her original childhood home was located.

Just a few blocks away rises Church of Saints Constantine and Helena, one of the city's newest churches. From the outside, it impresses with its domes, but it's only when you step inside that the real experience begins. Dark Orthodox frescoes cover the walls from floor to ceiling. Gold shimmers everywhere and the light from hundreds of lamps dances over the icons.

Museum of the City of Skopje

At the bottom of the street, another reminder of that tragic July morning in 1963 awaits. The old railway station still stands, badly damaged but preserved as a memorial. The clock on the facade has stopped at 05.17 – the exact minute when the 1963 earthquake changed Skopje forever. Today, the building houses Museum of the City of Skopje, where the city's dramatic history is told through exhibitions of photographs, objects and stories from the disaster.

We turn back towards the square. The longer the evening goes on, the stranger the city center feels. The monumental facades are beautifully lit but many buildings seem almost empty. Like backdrops.

We cross the stone bridge. On the other side, a completely different part of the city awaits.

The Old Bazaar and the Fort

The Old Bazaar in Skopje dates back to the 15th century and is one of the largest and best-preserved Ottoman trading posts in the Balkans. On the hill above stands the Old Fortress of Skopje, the oldest parts of which date back to the Byzantine era in 500 AD. Both the fortress and large parts of the bazaar were damaged in the earthquake, but much was restored in the following decades. The fact that the area survived better than the modern city center is one of the reasons why the Old Bazaar today truly feels like the original heart of the city

Most of the shops are closing in the bazaar when we arrive. The hookah bars are filling up with evening guests, the minarets of the mosques are brightly lit and the narrow alleys are bathed in warm light. From a café the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and honey-dripping baklava spreads. The goldsmiths are in the process of removing their glittering jewelry from the shop windows and the bridal shops are a chapter in themselves. The dresses are so sparkling, voluminous and decorated that our Swedish minimalist wedding dresses feel almost naked.

At a restaurant, the queue winds its way out into the street. The grilling hangs heavy over the block and the smell of freshly grilled kebab makes passersby slow down with growling stomachs. If we had had time, I would have queued in too. I really wanted to taste this.

As we walk back towards the river to get to our restaurant, I see the large cross on Vodno Mountain shining brightly high above the city. The Cross Millennium Cross was inaugurated in 2002 to mark 2000 years of Christianity in North Macedonia. From this distance it is difficult to determine the size of the cross, but it is the world's tallest cross at 66 meters.

Pirate dinner

We eat dinner on board one of the pirate ships. Charcuterie and local cheeses are followed by North Macedonian specialties and it is probably a rule that no diner in North Macedonia is ever allowed to leave a dinner without being stuffed. But you always have to leave some room for dessert. For dessert, some kind of pancakes are served hidden under vanilla sauce, topped with fruit and nuts. The dessert doesn't look at all like I imagined, but it turns out to be just as delicious as a last evening in North Macedonia deserves.

Handsome or ugly?

Skopje may not be the most beautiful capital in Europe, but it has something special that you won't find anywhere else. It is contradictory, difficult to interpret, beautiful, ugly and at times almost kitschy. But that is precisely why it remains in the memory. Here, Ottoman alleys coexist with brutalist architecture, earthquake-damaged houses with newly plastered backdrops and ancient heroes with pirate ships in a city without an ocean. And maybe it is right there, between history, truth and fantasy, that I will find my Skopje. A "Good and Mixed" bag of goodies with a little sour, sweet and salty. I would have liked to stay another day, but that will simply have to be next time. I am definitely not done with North Macedonia yet.

Practical tips about Skopje

Get there

Skopje airport is served by several European low-cost airlines, including Wizz Air. From Stockholm you can fly with one change, usually via Vienna, Frankfurt or Belgrade. The flight time is around three to four hours depending on the connection. I flew with Lufthansa via Frankfurt.

Bo

I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Skopje. The hotel is centrally located and is a mid-range hotel with fresh rooms, although the exterior is a bit retro. Both accommodation and food are unexpectedly affordable in Skopje.

Best time to go

April–June or September–October. Summer can be incredibly hot and all the marble makes the city extra scorching. During the summer, warnings are even sent out via SMS to the population to stay home from work and school during the hottest days. When I was here in March, the weather was changeable, but with pleasant temperatures.