PLACES TO SEE IN SKOPJE

 Skopje is the place where Macedonians, who lived under the control of others for 3000 years, finally tried to build their independence. Since it was the capital of a baby country that was founded in 1991, the priorities were not how we make the city a center of attraction, but how we raise the country. Only in recent years have they worked feverishly to add the atmosphere of a European capital to the city. Therefore, we cannot call Skopje a tourism center, but it is the country's largest city and the backbone of the economy. On the bright side, the most beautiful hotels and restaurants in the country are here, as the commercial center is Skopje.

As soon as you step into Skopje, you will witness the renewed and transformed face of the city with the beautification policies of the city, where the state has just begun. Let's say right now, these are plans that include quite a lot of sculpture. 🙂 Skopje is known as the city of sculptures. Every busy part of the city is decorated with sculptures. There was even a joke here; “Macedonia is 70% Macedonian, 20% Albanian, 10% sculpture.” Especially the Stone Bridge and Macedonia Square are decorated with statues, some in the size of men and some in gigantic sizes. In addition, with these new city plans, new bridges and elegant structures such as the Archaeological Museum were built on the Vardar River. Some are still under construction and surrounded by piers. In our opinion, the most beautiful product of this feverish work was the city lighting. At dusk, a magic wand touches the city and suddenly the city becomes a different place with its buildings and bridges that burn like cakes. Skopje is definitely one of the places that is more beautiful at night than during the day.

The area in the heart of the city, known as the Turkish Bazaar, is a touristic place with shops selling local products like a prototype of Turkey, Turkish and Balkan restaurants, Ottoman inns, baths, caravanserais, mosques and tombs. It has been the most important trade center of the city since it was founded by the Turks in the 12th century. You will notice that Turkish is still spoken in this region. We say that you should definitely spend an hour or two here without saying that the same thing exists in Turkey. Click for location. Number 1 on the map.

Macedonian Archaeological Museum was established in a 3-storey building of 6 thousand m² and you can see about 6-7 thousand objects that will illuminate the history of Macedonia from ancient times to the present. In fact, although it is a very valuable museum for Macedonia in terms of archeology and history, its past is very short. It was built in 2014 as part of a project. There are many relics in the museum that belong to different periods from prehistory to the medieval period and illuminate their lives in that period. It has become a well-prepared museum for you to get serious information with videos explaining archaeological remains, wax sculptures, paintings, old coins, mosaics and similar objects. You can even visualize the historical development process in your mind, where the narratives and objects are displayed in a chronological order. You will also have the chance to see a copy of the Alexander the Great Sarcophagus. Keep in mind, taking photos inside the museum is prohibited as in many museums, they are very sensitive about this. Click for location. Number 2 on the map.

It would not be an exaggeration to say Taşköprü is the symbol of the city of Skopje, this bridge connects the sides of the Vardar River, which runs through the middle of Skopje. Although the information about its construction is not very precise, it is said that it was built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in a time corresponding to 1450-1470 in many sources. Another rumor is that it was built under the architecture of Mimar Sinan, but it is a mosque with traces of the Ottoman Empire.

The bridge is sometimes called Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Vardar Bridge, Fatih Bridge, but the most used name is of course Taşköprü. The 12-arched, 6-meter-wide bridge has been damaged for various reasons over the years, but is still preserved by being renewed frequently. In the past, it was used for transportation from one side to the other in Skopje, but with the construction of another bridge in 1971, Taşköprü became usable only for pedestrians. Click for location. Number 3 on the map.