Most people in Skopje just see the concrete buildings and run away, but if one looks deeper one will find some excellent examples of Ottoman architecture and much more. Most of the sights in Skopje are situateded in and around the old bazaar.
Kale Fortress. Stands on the highest hill in the Skopje valley and offers great views over the city. The oldest section of the fortress is within the presentday fortifications. It is 121m long and is built in opus qvadrum style (huge stone blocks on the outside and small stones inside) by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian who was born in the village of Taorion near Skopje. After the great earthquake of 518 when ancient Skupi was destroyed, Justinian decided to do something for his birthtown and built Justinijana Prima on the site of presentday Skopje. Unfortunately no major archeological work has been done for discovering the remains of Justinijana Prima. Most of the presentday fortifications originate from the 10th century (the square tower) and 13th century (the round tower). It was reinforced during them turkish rule when the number of towers was up to 70 (today there are just 3 standing) and the fortress went down to river Vardar and up on the hill where today the Museum of Conteporary Art stands. The small gate from the side of the old bazaar is the only gate still standing and it was built in 1446. The fortress was badly damaged in the fire in 1689 and even more during the eartquake of 1963. �
the Stone Bridge
Stone Bridge. The Stone Bridge was built in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor Justinian. Since then it has been the symbol of the city and every ruler tried to leave a mark on it, even Skopje's last major who has been restoring it for 10 years now. The biggest reconstruction of the bridge was made in the second half of the 15th century by Sultan Mehmed II. The stone fence and guard tower were added then. Unfortunately the guard tower fell down during the most recent restoration and is waiting to be reconstructed. It still is the main connection of the main square and the old bazaar. While walking over it try to notice the 6th century big stone bloks. The bridge has 13 arches and is 214m long. �
Macedonia Square. Even though most of the interesting sights are on the other side of the Stone Bridge, there are couple of interesting sights around Macedonia Square. The square has changed a lot after the earthquake, most of the neoclasical buildings are gone except for a small section of houses in the center. Some more are on Maksim Gorki street and around (look for the Italian Embassy and the Arabian House Hotel). From the main square when you turn to enter the shopping mall look for a marked place. This is the place where the house of Mother Theresa used to stand. She was born in this house and lived here until she turned 18 when she left first for Ireland and then for India. Several statues of Macedonian revolutionary figures can also be seen, such as Goce Delcev Dame Gruev in addition to older figures such as Tsar Samuil and Justinian the First. By far the most impressive stature is that of Alexander the Great, standing at some 26m in height. �
Parliament Building, (Parliament Building). Built in 1933 by Viktor Hudak in modernistic style. �
City Hospital, (diagonal from the Parliament Building). Built in 1931 by the Croatian architect Drago Ibler and is the most beautiful example of modern architecture in Skopje. �
Feudal Tower, (Back on the main square, take Macedonia Street leading towards the Old Railway Station. The street has a couple of nice cafes. Right after you pass the crossroad look left to see the Feudal Tower.). It is not known when was it built or what its purpose was. It probably served as a defence tower on a property of a Turkish aristocrat. Today it serves as a souvenir shop and you can enter and see it from the inside. Right in front of it on the site of the old catholic church (distroyed in the earthquake) there is a monument to Mother Theresa. �
Skopje's Old Bazaar & Double Hamam
Double Hamam. The Double Hamam was built in the middle of the 15th century by Isa beg. It was used as both male and female bath, but unlike Daut Pasha Hamam where both parts go parallel to eachother, here the heating room is in the middle and the entrances are on the opposite sides. Today is used as a gallery for temporary exhibits. �
Bedesten. The most precious goods, like silk, spices, jewelry and perfumes, were sold in the bedesten, an object within the old bazaar, with gates which were closed in the evenings so the goods would be protected. Evlija Celebija who visited Skopje during the 17th century wrote that the only bigger and more beautiful bedesten from the one in Skopje was the one in Damascus. It was covered with 12 valutes and it held a whole bazaar inside. Unfortunately that bedesten disappeared in the fire of 1689. After the fire Skopje became much smaller and lost its importance as a trading center, so somewhere in the beginning of the 17th century the present bedesten was built. It is small and it is not even covered, but it still has a lot of atmosphere in it. It has just 5 short streets, small shops and four gates. In the past it was covered with wine grape, so it would protect the shoppers from the sun and the rain. �
Clock Tower. Every bazaar in Macedonia has a clock tower, as muslims had to close their stores five times a day to attend prayer. Working hours were introduced in the old bazaar, and nobody had a chance to work and earn more than the other, so the clock towers were built. Skopje’s clock tower is the first one ever to be built in the Ottoman Empire, which show us the importance of Skopje as a trading center. It was built during 1566-72. It has more Islamic appearance than the other clock towers in Macedonia. The clock on the clock tower was brought from Szeged, Hungary. Unfortunately the clock disappeared during the chaos after the earthquake and today is in a clock museum in Switzerland. �
Bey's Tower. A 14m high residential tower from the 17th century, this is the oldest building in Centar Municipality (central Skopje). Built for defense, with 1.5m thick walls, a high door and small windows on the lower floors, the tower would protect the family living here against all attackers. In the tower are the Mother Teresa memorial and the National Museum shop. The square in front of the tower was the location of the small catholic Church, which was destroyed in 1963. �
City Park. a large green area in the center of Skopje. A part of it is a museum, with several monuments within. It is a nice place to go for recreation, as there are pathways around the small lakes, tennis courts, the children’s amusement park, cafes, restaurants, etc. The city Zoo and stadium are also within the park. In the summer, the Skopje's nightlife concentrates on the several nightclubs in this park. �
Daut Pasha Hamam. Daut Pasha was the grand vesir of East Rumelia in the second half of the 15th century. He was based in Skopje and the legend goes that he built the hamam (turkish bath) for the needs of his harem. Before he left, he donated the hamam to the city. It was a double bath both for males and females (who bathed separately of course), the male and the female part going parallel next to each other. The two big domes in the front covered the two dressing rooms, which had water fountains in the middle. Each of the small domes covered a separate room for bathing. The heating room was on the end. Today the bath serves as a national gallery with a great collection of late 19 and 20 century art, and even if you are not interested in the art, you should go inside to see the elaborate decorations of the domes. �
Skopje's Aqueduct
Aqueduct, (On the exit of Skopje towards Kosovo, right before the village of Vizbegovo. Turn right at the first traffic signal you encounter on the road to Kosovo (you can only turn right). Turn right again immediately at the first opportunity. The pavement ends abruptly. Follow the unpaved road to the left that runs alongside the canal. After about 300 meters, you will see the aqueduct in front of you.). It is still not known when it was built. Many people claim it is from Roman times but it goes opposite of Skupi so that theory doesn’t make much sense. It was probably built during Byzantine times and it is sure that it was still used during Turkish times when it provided water for the public baths. 55 stone arches of the Aqueduct are still standing. �
Young Roma are transporting a concrete mixer on a mobile buzz saw
Provisional shelter since 1963
Shuto Orizari Municipality. Also called Shutka is one of the largest Roma settlements in the world with about 30.000 inhabitants. Neither pittoresque nor romantic, it is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in Roma life and culture. On the other hand, this is not a tourist attraction. The settlement developed from a small village where only a few Roma families were living before the 1963 earthquake. After the earthquake many Roma families who had lost their living quarters settled there - or were settled there. Many of the corrugated iron shacks that were donated by US aid organisations are still in use. After the closing of the big state factories unemployment among the Skopje Roma soared. At most 30% of the employable population have jobs. The others are looking for casual labor (e.g. in building), or are working in the formal or informal service sector (hair dressers, car wash, repairs of all kinds), are trading (street vendors, market traders, import export of textiles) or recycle garbage. Many families are depending on welfare. The biggest economic factor is the great textile market. Customers from all over Macedonia go there to get cheap clothes or shoes that come mainly from Turkey or Bulgaria. Poverty is ominpresent in Šuto Orizari but you can not categorize it as a slum. You can find small palaces belonging to wealthy merchants or musicians. You can find nice cottages belonging to families who used to work or are still working abroad as "guest workers". �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Skopje
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Skopje - updated Apr 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Skopje hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
Skopje Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
