Skopje, capital of North Macedonia

First impressions of central Skopje were great. And a little surprising. After a mixed bag of buildings on the outskirts of town and a spate of Soviet-era apartments which Alek pointed out as where he lived, the city center seemed grand. Massive white buildings evoking the height of ancient Greece*, wide plazas, huge statues. (*My apologies for using the word “Greece.” I realize this would not please Macedonians who have a troubled relationship with Greece and would prefer “ancient Macedonia,” but “ancient Greek” conveys a familiar image to outsiders.) These structures are the product of “Skopje 2014”, a massive government undertaking that yielded mixed results and much controversy.

Eighty percent of the buildings in Skopje were destroyed in a massive 1968 earthquake. After decades, the Macedonian government came up with Skopje 2014, an effort to make the capital into a symbol of national pride. At first blush, the project was a great success. But as we explored the city, we soon noticed many signs of premature deterioration. I found Skopje a fascinating city of contrasts.

Our quirky Hotel Senigallia was part of Skopje 2014, designed to look like an old-fashioned galleon moored in the River Vardar. Hotel Senigallia sits planted on the riverbed next to the iconic Stone Bridge and the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia which leads to the impressive archeological museum on the opposite bank. I chose the hotel for its great location and terrific reviews, but I was second-guessing myself up until we walked up the gangplank. My worries were unfounded. We loved the Senigallia. The hotel entrance and common areas are downright elegant with gleaming carved wood and brass, chandeliers and leather furniture; the hallway to our room/cabin gave the impression of a swank period luxury liner; our room was suprisingly spacious and comfortable with a marble bathroom and two “portholes” looking out on the swift-flowing River Vardar and the white-columned archeological museum. The upper deck restaurant provided an ample breakfast and surprisingly good food at dinnertime with one of the best servers we found in the Balkans. Outdoor seating was popular with locals although we opted for the air-conditioned interior.

Given the summer heat, my plan was to do outdoor rambles in the mornings and evenings and spend the heat of the day visiting museums, eating lunch… and maybe working in a little siesta. This turned out to be pretty ideal. The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence topped my list of museums to visit and we made it our first indoor destination. In fact, we were the first two people into the museum that day so had the place to ourselves for most of our visit. This let us move along slowly to take in the many wax figure displays of scenes of North Macedonian history. The displays and descriptions were often grim, one-sided and heavy on propaganda, but that only added to the interest. I like to see points of view that are new to me or different from the versions my own country tells. (The Vietnam War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Military Museum in the Belgrade Fortress are prime examples.) As an American, I didn’t have much of a dog in the fights that make up the subject of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, but the displays did have me looking up events I was totally unaware of.

Seeing the Archeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia from our bedroom window and during meals moved it onto our list of museums to visit. Fittingly, the archeological museum looks like a giant ancient temple. Its collection, including a copy of Alexander Sarcophagus is well-presented but contains no major treasures. The building itself was the main draw for us. Approaching the archeological museum across the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia makes a great impression. Great impressions are what Skopje 2024 was all about. Unfortunately, as we wandered the city center, we couldn’t help but notice crumbling “marble,” rust stains and other signs of premature deterioration. Not wanting to offend, but curious as to local opinion, we asked our friendly waitress at dinner one night what she thought of the buildings. She approved, saying with an ironic smile that at least the government built something with the money rather than stealing it. When I asked her what was there before, she said “Nothing. It was empty.” On the other hand, a woman in the hotel lobby said the new buildings were falling apart because of inferior materials and poor engineering resulting from corruption. She also explained how the Hotel Senigallia’s sister “ships” positioned at some distance on either side of the hotel were vandalized and derelict because of a former city administration’s efforts to destroy them. Apparently, changing governments made for uncoordinated approaches to city planning and a lawsuit had recently awarded compensation to the owners of the businesses in the faux ships.

Skopje offers more than museums. Our morning and evening walks took us to the Mother Theresa house, people-watching in Macedonia Square and exploring the old Ottoman Bazaar, the largest in the Balkans. Evenings were particularly busy with crowds of people of all ages out strolling or enjoying cafés. Street musicians including children on drums performed on the Stone Bridge and around the Fountain of Lions. An ice cream vendor drew a crowd as he charmed small children with a good-natured slight-of-hand routine that had them looking for disappearing cones and thinking he’d dropped their treats.

The bazaar is a maze of shop-lined streets interspersed with cafés, sweet shops and mosques. A man seeing my interest in a huge tree sheltering diners in one small square told me it dated to ancient times. We found most people in Skopje to be friendly and many spoke at least some English. An easy walk from Hotel Senigallia, we visited the bazaar both nights we spent in the city. With plenty to do and adapting to the heat, we opted to skip a walk up to the fortress or a cable car ride to the large mountaintop Millennium Cross for views of the city. All in all, we found Skopje worth the visit and I’m glad we didn’t let summer weather keep us away.