"Moeto Skopjence" a Skopje Travel Page by Malecka

I haven't written here in QUITE a while, since the latest news I have posted date from 2006. Three visits, during 2007, followed: january, june, september.
One of the occasions for the visit was the wedding a dear, dear friend of mine, so it made everything extra-special.
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After my october visit to my hometown (in 2006), I wrote about my impressions, under the title of Rocktober in Skopje. The 4-week stay was actually an emotional re-discovery of everything that Skopje is... its chaotic streets, its garbage that makes me want to strangle the so-called citizens, its sounds, its cafés, its bars and clubs, its pastry shops, its... everything.
I had a four-week love affair with my Skopje and realized how much I missed it, and how unbelievably comfortable I felt in it. How it never ceases to provoke a smile on my face with all its beauty, faults and especially its “rough edges”.
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For those of you who are able to speak or at least understand the Macedonian language, you can read more about my very personal impressions of this last visit, on my blog. And for the rest of you... Well, I can only give you some up-dated pages. Especially when it comes to the night-life cause I have to say I witnessed some fantastic changes.

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THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST intro for these pages
Feel a bit weird writing about Skopje, because the "objectivity" factor needs to be ON!!!
I decided to put a picture of Old Skopje here because I am one of those people that still cannot get over that Earthquake in 1963. Skopje was really amazing back then (in terms of the architecture).
But now, I admit, architecture-wise it is not the most impresive place you'll see - HOWEVER... it still HAS A LOT TO OFFER TO ANYONE WHO'S HERE FOR A VISIT (actually you can't feel like a guest here too long - cause you become part of the city in no time and feel at home)

Found sth about this city's history!!!! Hope you like it

SKOPJE
The name of this city has remained basically the same throughout the centuries: Skupi (in the Ancient times), Skupis, Skopia (roman-byzantium period), Iskib, Uskup (Ottoman period), Skopje, Skoplje (Slavic period)…
Some of the archeological findings confirm the hypothesis that the territory of today’s Skopje had been inhabited even in the early Neolith (stone age), seven or eight millenniums BC. According to some archeologists and historians the tribe called Peons first inhabited the territory. It is assumed that they have given the name Skupi meaning: a shelter, a hut. The birth of the city is associated with the coming of the Roman army (13-11th year BC), in the time of the Roman Emperor’s Octavian August ruling. Later, it became the capitol of the province of Dardania. 518 the town was destroyed by an earthquake. So, the beautiful town of remarkable objects, temples, spas and a marvelous amphitheater was completely ruined.
Soon after that, the new town was built, at the territory around the “Upper Town” (the Kale).
In the bastion of Tauresium (today’s village Taor), the great Byzantium emperor Justinian was born. Many residences, palaces, streets, squares, spas, fountains and galleries were built in his honor. This is the origin of the assumption that the mystical city of Justiniana Prima, founded 565, was in fact located on the territory of today’s Skopje. (by the way, Justiniana Prima was the very first archeopiscopy on the territory of the Balkans, even before the Ohrid one).
Soon after the death of Justinian 1, these regions are inhabited by the Slavs, who stayed here forever.
In the year of 694/5 the Slavic tribe Berziti (Brsjaci) conquered the city and gave the name Skopje.
Towards the end of the 10th century, the first Macedonian state of the Tsar Samoil was founded and the empire stretched over the majority of the Balkans. In the period of the Macedonian kingdom, the Ohrid archiepiscopy was established, which played a significant role in keeping the identity of the Macedonian people, up until 1767 when it was abolished.
January 19th 1392 the city of Skopje was conquered by Gazi Evrenos-beg (Greek by origin) and he was the first commander during the Ottoman Empire.
Skopje became Uskup.
After defeating the Turkish Army near Vienna, the Austrian feld-marshal, Count Giovanni Piccolomini captured Skopje on October 25th 1689. He wrote: “Skopje streches over a large area and is only a little smaller than Vienna and Prague….”
At the time, cholera was devastating the city and Piccolomini decided to set Skopje on fire: “I have decided, even though it is not easy, to turn the city in ashes. I am sorry for these houses like I haven’t seen before…”
October 24th 1912, finally the Turkish Army left Skopje. However, the two Balkan wars followed and they changed the map of Balkan permanently. The Bucharest Piece treaty did not bring freedom for Macedonia, since one occupation was replaced with other four.
After the World Wars, Skopje was finally celebrating freedom on November 13th 1944. And began its development.
1963 it was struck by a disastrous earthquake (9 degrees by the Mercali scale)…
Since then, the city has changed a lot. Nowadays it is being constantly improved.
Oh, and the TITLE... are actually Piccolomini's words!

Ok, so let's go...

An important one...
"Zhivej go Skopje" (Live/Experience Skopje)
:-)