Saturday, November 15, 2014

THE BALKANS THROUGH MY EYES - #1


Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, is an interesting city to explore. The centre of this Balkan city is going on under a building spree after several decades of abandon, following the 1963 earthquake that devastated a large area of the city. 





The break-up of Yugoslavia resulted in the creation of a smaller Republic of Macedonia in 1992 and since then, the government in co-operation with architect-planners has been confident in the role of remaking the postwar world. The Ottoman district has been rebuilt while the construction of a new centre by the Vardar river is about to be concluded. In my modest opinion, this new centre looks bizarre, the reason why I was curious about it. The new buildings and bridges are of neoclassical and baroque styles, while the public areas are ornamented with sculptures, fountains and even an arch of triumph!!!








It seems the government hopes the enormous statues will attract tourists. Will they???

As I was strolling through the city, looking here and there, seeing  this and that, I always wondered whether the Disneyland had been the source of inspiration to the government of Macedonia...


Bronze statue of a woman swimmer in bikini at Vardar River 



I think in this city there are not jobless sculptors... From the famous people to the not so, all are represented...

 "Shopping girls", in front of the Skopje shopping mall.

As I was strolling through the city, looking here and there, seeing  this and that, I always wondered whether the Disneyland had been the source of inspiration to the government of Macedonia...

The river already boasts a boat restaurant and others are being built. 

At night, the city centre is very lively with bars and cafés crowded with young people and musicians playing on the streets. Daytime, not so as you can see in the photo below.



The earthquake itself is a distant memory, yet I heard some locals claiming that something of the soul of the city had gone away as a result of the urban development...

 

Have a great weekend!

~~ Thank You ~~

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