The reason there are so many statues in Skopje goes back to 2008 when the economy crashed. Much like many countries around the world, Macedonia targeted tourism as a major source of and revenue.
The Skopje 2014 project, consisted mainly of the construction of colleges, museums and government buildings, as well as the erection of monuments depicting historical figures.Around 20 buildings and over 40 monuments were to be constructed as part of the project.
As soon as you mention youre going to Skopje, almost immediately someone will say ahhh, the city of statues
We started the tour at Women Warrior Park - Placed in the strict center right next to the City Shopping Mall the park is named after the monument placed in 1970 called Woman Warrior. It is dedicated to all the women from Macedonia that participated in World War II.
installed. It isnt clear who about the nudity of the Greek God but thats part of the mystery behind this story.
What is clear is that good old nude Prometheus — who in Greek mythology is a symbol of because he stole fire from the gods — suddenly he appeared a few days later wearing pants.
As we walked toward Macedonia Gate there were several statues dotted along the walkway, even Zoran our guide joked it would take days to see all the statues in Skopje!
Macedonia Gate - Construction started in 2011 and in January 2012. The arch is dedicated to 20 years of Macedonian independence and its outer surface is covered in 32 reliefs carved in marble, depicting scenes from the history of Macedonia.
The one our guide focused on was the celebration when Macedonia became independent on 8th September 1991.
– although, officially, no one dares call it that sits in the heart of Skopje in the main square. Seated upon his favourite steed, the classical hero surveys the capital from the vantage point at 22 metres, or eight storeys high, the statue dwarfs its surroundings.
Although now destroyed we saw the location of the house where Mother Theresa was born. The marble plaque is surrounded with 3 fir trees, one of which was planted by Mother Theresa but the date escapes me !
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26 1910 she was the youngest of three children. Her family was of Albanian descent.
Zoran took us into the Mother Theresa Memorial House. The Memorial house of Mother Teresa is non profit organization financed by the Government of Republic of Macedonia. The Location of the museum is not randomly chosen, it is on the exact place where the old Catholic Church Sacred heart of Jesus once stood. It is where Mother Teresa, was baptized just one day after her birth & where she received her and where she found her inner peace after her fathers death.
Main Street with coffee shops on both sides wasnt too busy but we could hear some musicians playing, obviously looking forward to when tourists return.
I red double decker bus went by and Zoran told us how Londons famous bright red double decker buses were sight in Skopjes streets until the earthquake in the 1963 destroyed most of them. The buses had been a gift from the British government,
They did cause confusion for the drivers though as they were not used to having the steering wheel on the left - now a new fleet is bringing some flair back to the citys streets although these new buses are now supplied from China.
The 1963 earthquake damaged destroyed about 80% of the citys buildings and killed more than 1,000 people.
As our tour came to an end - We could see the old train station, which partly collapsed in the 1963 earthquake, it has been left in its state and is now the premier memorial to the disaster, the clock on its central facade
