"Skopje" a Skopje Travel Page by Pijlmans

When I think of Skopje, several things pop up: The river Vardar, Kameni Most or the Stone Bridge, the Kale Fortress and St Patrick, the Irish pub. The last one not quite very Macedonian but enjoyable nevertheless!

As with any major city, one should just "taste" the city by strolling around the old Turkish town Carsija and the centre of Skopje south of the river Vardar, connected by the Stone Bridge.

Big parts of Skopje have been destroyed several times the last 500 years: In 1555 and 1963 by major earthquakes and in 1689 when Skopje was set on fire by the Austrian general Piccolomini on his retreat during an outbreak of the plague. Some say he set fire to Skopje to eradicate the plague, others say it was revenge for the Ottoman invasion of Vienna in 1683.

The City Museum of Skopje is situated in the old train station, which was partly destroyed during the earthquake on July 26 1963. During the earthquake the station clock stopped and the clock´s hands are still at 05.17.

One of the highlights of the Museum of Macedonia is the statue of the Great Mother, found in a house of a neolithic settlement near Skopje in 1981.

The Museum of Contemporary Art lies to the west of Kale Fortress on top of a hill.

Do not go to Skopje Zoo, unless to leave a huge donation for the welfare of the animals. It was a sad, sad experience!

Being in a valley, Skopje tends to get *very* hot and smoggy in the summer and is not the most pleasant place to stay during those months!

A huge steel cross, lit up at night, oversees Skopje from Mount Vodno. It is a good target for a short hike!

Half-way up Mount Vodno lies the Monastery of Pantelejmon, worth a short visit, especially if you don´t take a cab but walk up the mountain.

Lake Matka is a man-made lake by damming the river Treska, about 30 minutes by car or bus from Skopje. It lies in a steep ravine of the Treska Valley. You can do some very nice hikes here and visit many churches.

The ruins of Skupi dating from the 4th century are not very interesting, since there is not too much to see. I found the Old Stone Aqueduct outside of Skopje much more exciting.

Many more sights are described in the tip section below.