Macedonia Square
Encyclopedia
Macedonia Square is the main square of Skopje
, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia
. The square is the biggest in Macedonia with total 18.500 m2.
It is located in the central part of the city, and it crosses the Vardar River. The Christmas festivals are always held there and it commonly serves as the site of cultural, political and other events. The independence of Macedonia from Yugoslavia was declared here by the country's first president
, Kiro Gligorov
. The square is currently under re-development and there are many new buildings around the square being constructed.
In 2007, the Macedonian government announced plans to reconstruct the Army House, which together with the Old Theatre (also being reconstructed on the other side of Macedonia Square, across the Vardar River) that was severely destroyed in the 1963 Skopje earthquake
.
In December 2008, a flagpole with the Macedonian flag
was erected on Macedonia Square, near the Stone Bridge
, as it was done on 68 other important locations throughout the country.
On 2 May 2010, two monuments of Goce Delcev and Dame Gruev
were erected near the Stone Bridge. The Centar Municipality built a high monument of fountain with Alexander the Great on Bucephalus
, which was unveiled on September 8, 2011, on the 20-year anniversary of Macedonia's independence referendum from Yugoslavia
.
The three main streets that merge onto the suare are Maksim Gorki, Dimitar Vlahov and Street Macedonia. Dimitar Vlahov Street was converted into a pedestrian street in 2011. Maksim Gorki, while not a pedestrian zone, is lined with Japanese Cherry trees, whose blossoms in spring mark a week-long series of Asian cultural events. Finally, Macedonia Street, the main pedestrian street, connects Macedonia Square to the Old Railway Station (destroyed by the 1963 earthquake), which houses the City of Skopje Museum. Along Macedonia Street is the Mother Teresa
Memorial House, which features an exhibit of artefacts from Mother Teresa
's life. Mother Teresa
's original family home was located near Macedonia Square, and a plaque marking the location can be found today. A feudal tower from the middle ages next to the Mother Teresa House still stands today, surprisingly withstanding the devastating 1963 earthquake. The most popular tourist walk starts from the Old Railway Station down Macedonia Street, past the Mother Teresa
Memorial House and Feudal Tower, past Mother Teresa's birth house location, down Macedonia Square, across the Stone Bridge, past the Holocaust Museum, Museum of Macedonian Independence, towards the Turkish Bazaar and ending at the Kale Fortress. The reconstructed Old Theater and the new Archaeological Museum, expected to be complete in the 2012-2013 timeframe, will add additional cultural landmarks along the main tourist vertical.
In May 2010, Marriott Hotels announced the construction of the first Marriott Hotel in the Balkans in Skopje on Macedonia Square, which is currently underway.
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. The square is the biggest in Macedonia with total 18.500 m2.
It is located in the central part of the city, and it crosses the Vardar River. The Christmas festivals are always held there and it commonly serves as the site of cultural, political and other events. The independence of Macedonia from Yugoslavia was declared here by the country's first president
President of the Republic of Macedonia
The President of the Republic of Macedonia is the head of state of the Republic of Macedonia. The institution of the Presidency of the modern Republic of Macedonia began after the Macedonian declaration of independence on 8 September 1991. Its first president was Kiro Gligorov, the oldest president...
, Kiro Gligorov
Kiro Gligorov
Kiro Gligorov , born May 3, 1917) was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Macedonia. His son Vladimir Gligorov is the refounder of the Serbian Democratic Party.- Biography :...
. The square is currently under re-development and there are many new buildings around the square being constructed.
In 2007, the Macedonian government announced plans to reconstruct the Army House, which together with the Old Theatre (also being reconstructed on the other side of Macedonia Square, across the Vardar River) that was severely destroyed in the 1963 Skopje earthquake
1963 Skopje earthquake
The 1963 Skopje earthquake was an 6.1 moment magnitude earthquake which occurred in Skopje, SR Macedonia then part of the SFR Yugoslavia, on July 26, 1963 which killed over 1,070 people, injured between 3,000 and 4,000 and left more than 200,000 people homeless...
.
In December 2008, a flagpole with the Macedonian flag
Flag of the Republic of Macedonia
The national flag of the Republic of Macedonia depicts a stylised yellow sun on a red field, with eight broadening rays extending from the centre to the edge of the field. It was created by Pr...
was erected on Macedonia Square, near the Stone Bridge
Stone Bridge (Skopje)
The Stone Bridge is a bridge across the Vardar River in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The bridge is considered a symbol of Skopje and is the main element of the coat of arms of the city, which in turn is incorporated in the city's flag. The Stone Bridge connects Macedonia...
, as it was done on 68 other important locations throughout the country.
On 2 May 2010, two monuments of Goce Delcev and Dame Gruev
Dame Gruev
Damyan Yovanov Gruev or Damjan Jovanov Gruev, often known by his short name Dame Gruev, was an insurgent leader in Ottoman Macedonia and Thrace...
were erected near the Stone Bridge. The Centar Municipality built a high monument of fountain with Alexander the Great on Bucephalus
Bucephalus
Bucephalus or Bucephalas was Alexander the Great's horse and one of the most famous actual horses of antiquity. Ancient accounts state that Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, in what is now modern Pakistan, and is buried in Jalalpur Sharif outside of Jhelum, Pakistan...
, which was unveiled on September 8, 2011, on the 20-year anniversary of Macedonia's independence referendum from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
The three main streets that merge onto the suare are Maksim Gorki, Dimitar Vlahov and Street Macedonia. Dimitar Vlahov Street was converted into a pedestrian street in 2011. Maksim Gorki, while not a pedestrian zone, is lined with Japanese Cherry trees, whose blossoms in spring mark a week-long series of Asian cultural events. Finally, Macedonia Street, the main pedestrian street, connects Macedonia Square to the Old Railway Station (destroyed by the 1963 earthquake), which houses the City of Skopje Museum. Along Macedonia Street is the Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
Memorial House, which features an exhibit of artefacts from Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
's life. Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
's original family home was located near Macedonia Square, and a plaque marking the location can be found today. A feudal tower from the middle ages next to the Mother Teresa House still stands today, surprisingly withstanding the devastating 1963 earthquake. The most popular tourist walk starts from the Old Railway Station down Macedonia Street, past the Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
Memorial House and Feudal Tower, past Mother Teresa's birth house location, down Macedonia Square, across the Stone Bridge, past the Holocaust Museum, Museum of Macedonian Independence, towards the Turkish Bazaar and ending at the Kale Fortress. The reconstructed Old Theater and the new Archaeological Museum, expected to be complete in the 2012-2013 timeframe, will add additional cultural landmarks along the main tourist vertical.
In May 2010, Marriott Hotels announced the construction of the first Marriott Hotel in the Balkans in Skopje on Macedonia Square, which is currently underway.