Skopje is the capital and largest city of Macedonia. The city, which is the political, cultural, economic and academic center of the country, is divided into two by the Vardar River which passes through the center.
Especially with the structural changes made since 2010, the city has got a lot of beauty. New bridges were built on the Vardar River, adorned with sculptures of Macedonia Square. For this reason, Skopje also referred to as the city of sculpture.
When did Skopje Become the Capital?
Skopje Fortress overlooking Skopje, dating back to 4000 BC, has remnants of Neolithic settlements. The Romans seized and converted into an army camp at the beginning of the 1st century AD the settlement. With the division of the Roman Empire into east and west in 395, the name “Scupi” at that time remained under the domination of Byzantine based in Istanbul. It was called “Skopje” by the Turks when it was seized by the Ottomans in 1392. The city, which has been under the Ottoman rule for over 500 years, was taken over by Balkan Wars and the Kingdom of Serbia in 1912.
It became part of the newly founded Kingdom of Yugoslavia after World War I. Although occupied by Bulgaria in the Second World War of Axis Powers, it became the capital of Socialist Republic of Macedonia, a federal state that formed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1944. Although Skopje showed a rapid development after World War II, it was severely damaged by a devastating earthquake in 1963, becoming the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, which proclaimed its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Features of Skopje
Skopje has a population of 536,271 according to the data of 2012. Skopje has an area of 571.5 square kilometers. In Skopje, which has humid subtropical climes, summer is hot and humid, winter is cold and damp. The winters often snow. The average temperature in summer is 31 ° C. This temperature sometimes exceeds 40 ° C. In the spring and fall seasons the temperature ranges from 15 ° C to 24 ° C. The average temperature in winter is around 6 ° C; the temperatures usually fall below 0 ° C. This temperature drop can go up to -10 ° C. The peak periods of precipitation during the year are October-December and April-June.
Having hosted many nationalities throughout history, Skopje now offers a mosaic scene where people from different languages, religion, and culture live together. Macedonian, Turkish, Albanian, Gypsy, Greek, Bulgarian, Bosnian and many other national and ethnic groups live here.
The city is one of the centers of the metal industry, chemistry, lumber, textile, leather and printing industries in the country.
Important Places to See in Skopje
Skopje, an ancient Ottoman city, is now the capital of Macedonia. The city, rising on two banks of the Vardar River, is home to Albanians and Muslims, and Orthodox Christians live on the other side. A combination of modern and traditional architecture shapes the city.
At the beginning of the places to see in Skopje are Macedonia Square, Stone Bridge, and Skopje Fortress.