The Balkans' city of statues: the lit-up Stone Bridge, the Old Bazaar and an ideal first trip abroad.
This is Skopje, the Balkans’ “City of Statues”. It wouldn’t be fair to compare it with a city like Rome, whose history goes back millennia. Skopje is a young city trying to rewrite a short history with the statues it has placed on every corner.
The city of statues
Some locals aren’t happy about it; they feel far too much money went into these statues. But the state is clearly set on putting down roots and leaving something for the future. One thing is certain: it looks spellbinding, especially in the evening.
Evening lights
After dark, it’s as if someone waved a magic wand over the Stone Bridge, the Archaeological Museum and every statue in between, and the whole place lights up.
Who is it for?
Skopje is worth seeing by day and by night, with its Ottoman traces and its freshly remade face. It’s a wonderful choice if you’re travelling abroad for the first time, especially as a Turkish speaker: in the Old Bazaar and in plenty of other places you can get by in Turkish.
