Acquaintance with the capital of Macedonia is worth starting with the square, which has the name of the same name with the country. This truly huge area cannot but surprise with its size. Free space appeared here, unfortunately, due to the tragic event - an earthquake of 1963, which destroyed a number of buildings that were in the place of the present area.
On this area today you can see today at once several monuments to the prominent commander of different eras, kings of antiquity and just different saints. In the vicinity of Macedonia Square, the most famous city clubs are located, the largest shopping centers, as well as cafes and restaurants of national cuisine. It is worth looking into local souvenir benches offering the widest range of souvenirs from different price categories. In the center of the square, pay attention to the towering monumental equestrian sculpture of Alexander Macedonsky. Its height reaches more than 20 meters. At the foot of the pedestal there are eight sculptures that depict eight soldiers of the famous Macedonian phalanx. The special interest of tourists is the monument to the king Samuel, made of marble and sculpture, which depicts Mother Teresu. And next to the Kamen Bridge you can see the monuments of the heroes of the Great Macedonian resistance: Gotse Delchev and the lady of the peorative. The Kameni Bridge itself will lead you from Macedonia Square to the other side of the river. The bridge was built for a long time, back in the 15th century from very large stone blocks and perfectly preserved up to the present day.
Another bridge of the Macedonian capital, which deserves your attention - the Stone Bridge of Skopje. Today it is, perhaps, one of the most important jewelry of the city. It connects a new and old part of the city. Every year, this bridge attends a very large number of tourists, because repair and construction work is regularly held. Today, the previously destroyed gaptweath is restored, which was once built at the highest point of the bridge. The exact date of the buildings of the bridge itself remained unknown for history. There are many theories about the time of its structure. One of the versions says that the bridge was built in the era of the Ottoman Empire in the middle of the 15th century. The construction was then built from massive stone blocks, and a few columns are supported today. Pay attention to the framing of the structure with all sorts of decorative elements of Islamic religious and secular architecture. On the one hand, the bridge depicts the heroes of the same Macedon resistance, and on the other - the monuments of the famous enlighteners Kirill and Methodius. In the middle part of the bridge, you will see a memorial stone that was installed here in honor of the leader of the Karpos peasant uprising, which was rebelled by the Turks to Wardar.
The next interesting thing to visit in the capital of Macedonia is the Sat Kula Tower. This is the oldest hour tower in the country. This is a curious construction from an architectural point of view built in the 16th century. In those days, the battle hours of the tower, which was broadcast on kilometers around, informed the locals about the beginning of the daily prayer. The clock mechanism Sat Kula was brought from sigtte. And the tower itself was performed in a unique style. Please note that the building has a hexagonal foundation, as well as a roof, characteristic more for medieval architecture in Russia. The construction has seriously suffered from fires and earthquakes in different periods of state development. The new hours, which were installed here after the restoration and which you can see today, delivered from Switzerland at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Sat Kula is not only a significant element of the architecture of the city, but also a valuable historical monument. The contours of the tower are the main landmark for residents and guests of Skopje.
Another attraction of Skopje is a fortress Kale. The first settlements in this place are dated to the 4th century to our era. The structure was erected in the time of Byzantines in the 6th century. In the 14th century, after Skopje took the Turks, the fortress was used as a barracks. Throughout its history, the fortress was collapsed several times by conquerors, after which it was completely restored and rebuilt. At the end of the First World War, the headquarters of the Austrian army was located here. In the period from 1921 to 1930, when Yugoslavia was formed at this place, in the fortress built military buildings. Here the General Staff was equipped, as well as the warehouses of the economic appointment and the barracks. In the middle of the last century, the troops were completely derived from the fortress, and all the buildings were transferred to the historical and archaeological museum. The fortress was very much suffered from the earthquake of 1963, many of its facilities were destroyed. To date, gear walls have already been restored, as well as towers with which we can see a wonderful panoramic view of the city of Skopje.
Well, to complete your acquaintance with an amazing Skopje, by visiting the majestic old market (old Charshia). Today it is perhaps the largest market of all the Balkans (outside Istanbul). The Bazaar himself is located along the eastern shore of the Warcar River. From the 12th century, he was a shopping center of the entire city and to this day did not lose this significance. To date, the old market has the status of the Macedonia National Cultural Reserve. By the way, his status was noticeably rising in the Ottoman era, when more than 30 mosques were located on this territory, various caravan sheds, all sorts of shopping shops, trade all sorts of people and other Turkish structures. Although the architecture of the bazaar is mainly Islamic, there are several churches on its territory. By the way, on the territory of the old market is located today and the covered market in the area, which was built here in the 15th century, as well as the tower with the clock of the 16th century. You can walk around here, to visit the gallery of contemporary art, which is located in the building of the former Turkish bath. Be sure to inspect the process of visiting the market and many mosques that have survived here to the present day, as well as the preserved caravansers, where hotels, the Church of St. Salvation and other tourist facilities are accommodated.
