To the visited countries list
www.metaltraveller.com - Click here for the homepage
To the Concerts list
Back To The Balkans: Greece and Macedonia
March 2007

Flag Macedonia Skopje - Part 1 Flag Macedonia

< Previous: Ohrid
< Begin Trip >
Panorama of Skopje's Skyline, Macedonia
Road signs to Belgrade, Prishtina and Ohrid in Skopje, Macedonia - Not so long ago all those cities were in the same country... After visiting Ohrid I went back to Skopje and stayed for two days in the Macedonian Capital.

The first impression is that it’s a strange city. It doesn’t feel much like a capital city of a European country.
The atmosphere is more relaxed and it feels more like a laid-back provincial town.

Well, that’s what it’s always been.
From the Roman Empire to the Ottoman Era and the Yugoslav years, Skopje’s status as a capital city is very recent.

These Road signs to Belgrade, Prishtina and Ohrid made me wonder that not so long ago all those cities were in the same country.
Too bad that because of a few cultural and religious divergences they couln't handle it, despite a common past.
Millenium Cross in Skopje, Macedonia This is the Vodno mountain where you can see the famous Millenium Cross. Famous because it's the buggest cross in the world and apparently it can be seen from 30km away.

It was built two celebrate the Second millenium of christianity with Macedonia being a biblical land.

Here's a great website about Skopje: Old Skopje.
The Youth Hostel in Skopje, Macedonia This is Skopje's hostel, my home during my stay in the city.
My home for a few days - This was my room at Skopje's youth Hostel, Macedonia The site of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 3500 BC.
When the Romans invaded in 146 BC it became part of the Roman Province of Macedonia. As the Empire grew, Scupi was included in the province of Moesia.

After the partition, it became part of the Byzantine Empire in 395.
Slavic tribes invaded Scupi in the 7th Century and renamed it Skopje. Then it was claimed by the Bulgarian Empire, but the Byzantines kept control of the city over most of the Middle Ages.
Fruit Market in Skopje, Macedonia

In the 13th Century Skopje was the capital of the estate of the Bulgarian feudal lord, later Emperor Konstantin Asen.
Then the Serbs conquered the town in 1282 and in 1346 it became the capital of the Serbian Empire. (of Stefan Dušan).

After the 1389 Battle Of Kosovo, Skopje found itself into the Ottoman Empire for the next 500 years.

An albanian flag on Skopje's bazar, Macedonia Under the Ottomans the town was known as Üsküp and was the capital of the District of Kosovo, in the region of Rumelia.
The city went trough extensive changes but was renowned for its beauty and architecture.

In 1689 the Austrian Empire burned Skopje.
Officially, they intended to eradicate the cholera epidemic, but it’s more likely to be a revenge for the Ottoman’s attack on Vienna.
Skopje's colourful Bazar, Macedonia The city fell in decay and only 200 years later Skopje regained importance, as it was included in the Belgrade-Thessaloniki train line.
The Slavic expelled the Ottomans in 1912 and then the Serbs captured the city. After World War I, Skopje found itself in Yugoslavia.

In 1945 Skopje became the capital of the Republic Of Macedonia, still within Yugoslavia.
Since 1991, it’s the capital of an independent country.
A bus from the RATP (Paris public transport operator) in Skopje. What is it doing here?? This is a bus from the RATP, Paris' public transport operator. I don't know what was it doing there...
the huge Macedonia Square in Skopje Macedonia Square is the biggest square in Skopje. Here's when the old and the new city meet: surrounded by modern buildings but you're just in front of the Stone Bridge, which will lead you to the Old Bazar Area.
The old stone bridge of Skopje, Macedonia The Old Stone Bridge over the Vardar River is one of the symbols of Skopje. It's pedestrian bridge communicating the old town with the new city.

It dates from the Ottoman period, probably from the 15th Century, but some like to say that dates back to Roman times. Some say it was built under the rule of Sultan Murat II, others say that it was his son, Mehmed II.
< Previous: Ohrid
< Begin Trip >