Macedonian capital gets a facelift

18/03/2010

A plan to construct and renovate nearly 30 buildings is under way.

By Goran Trajkov for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 18/03/10

The project includes building and renovating 30 buildings in Skopje's downtown area. [Tomislav Georgiev/SETimes]

A major overhaul of Macedonia's capital is going ahead as scheduled after the government unveiled a video presentation last month that details the changes. The goal is to enhance Skopje's appeal and administrative functionality.

The ministry of culture and the Skopje municipality Centar are in charge of implementing the project, dubbed "Skopje 2014". It includes building and renovating 30 buildings in Skopje's downtown area.

Numerous monuments are also envisioned under the project -- including a statue of Alexander the Great being placed atop a new fountain at the central Macedonia Square -- by year's end.

Centar Mayor Vladimir Todorovic explained that the project provides Skopje with an "architectural and urban whole which will give the city an artistic expression".

Veteran architect Biljana Sekova told SETimes that the project is very ambitious and brings Skopje much needed architectural and artistic content. "It is a blend of ancient and baroque styles, to which a feel of the old city of Skopje is added," she said.

Statues of the Roman Emperor Justinian I, whose birthplace may have been located near modern-day Skopje, and of the medieval Tsar Samoil will be executed in marble The other monuments, including those of the European patron saints and Slavic apostles Sts Cyril and Methodius, will be made out of bronze.

Construction of two new pedestrian bridges over the Vardar River -- the Eye Bridge, named after its characteristic midway circle, and the idiosyncratically shaped Bridge of Art -- has already begun.

The project also includes adding another floor and placing a dome and cupolas on the parliament building. A monument of Nikola Karev, president of the short-lived Krushevo Republic of 1903, will be placed in front of the building. Next to it, a new arch will serve as an entrance to Skopje's other central square, Pella.

Nearing completion are the new facades and buildings along the Vardar -- the Constitutional Court, Archeological Museum and the financial police headquarters. New office buildings for the ministry of foreign affairs and the state archives, among other government agencies, are in the initial stages of construction.

Though well received by most people, Skopje 2014 has sparked an ongoing debate between the government and the opposition Social Democrats. The party claims the project is excessive and will cost 200m euros during the economic crisis.

However, Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski says the projected cost is 80m euros. The money will be drawn from several annual state budgets, as well as from the municipal budgets of Skopje and Centar, and from private investors.

Several NGOs allied with the opposition have attempted public protests, arguing the funds would be better spent on fighting poverty.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, says Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, but he notes that the new buildings will eventually save money by reducing rents that some agencies must pay. He also highlights the construction jobs being created, and vows to continue building across the country.