Skopje Hotels

Skopje Hotels

Why not have a vacation in Skopje ? It can be a place to visit. You may want to visit the city to have a business visit or to have a vacation there. You may want to rent, sell, hire, loan, buy, invest in property in the city. You may want to see historical sites or famous people. Why not get a hotel room in the city.

Skopje is located in the northern part of the Republic of Macedonia, in the Skopje statistical region. The Vardar River flows through the city towards into the Aegean Sea. Skopje is located at an elevation of 255 m's above sea level. The city's land area is 1,854 km².

Landmarks

Old Stone Bridge

The Old Stone Bridge in the city square is built under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror between 1451 and 1469. However, some sources assume it was built during the Romans, in the VI century A.D. immediately after the disastrous 518 earthquake, when also the Classical town of Skupi was devastated. This bridge represents the connection between Skopje’s past and present and today is featured as the emblem of the city of Skopje. The bridge was restored in the late 1990s.

Old Skopje Bazaar

The Skopje Old Bazaar is situated in an area between the Stone Bridge and the Bit Bazaar, and between the Kale fortress and the Serava River. In the past all economic activities in the city were taking place in this bazaar. In the period between the XVI and the XVII century, the Old Bazaar reached its urban and economic zenith, developing into one of the largest and most significant oriental old bazaars in the Balkans. It is full of bustling shops that beckon visitors. This bazaar is an interesting mixture of Eastern and Western culture.

Macedonia square

This square is the largest and most important of Skopje’s squares. It is dramatically widened by the destruction of the massive neoclassical National Bank and Army House during the 1963 earthquake. The most remarkable building is the Risticheva Palata. However, the focus of the square is still the Stone Bridge, and it’s a pleasant place to hang out in good weather. During the warmer months concerts are performed in the square.

Kale Fortress

This fortress is situated in a hill above the city and there were settlements that existed before the Turks created the extensive castle walls that survived until today. The present fortress was originally built by the Byzantines in the 6th century. It is supposed that the stone blocks used in this construction were taken from the destroyed city of Skupi nearby. After the 1963 earthquake, Kale’s circular, rectangular and square towers were conserved and restored. Today this fortress is the one of the best sightseeing spots in Skopje.

Old Railway Station

The clock on this old train station stopped at 5:17 am since the morning of July 27th 1963, when this piece of the grand modernist station of Skopje was one of the few parts of the city that remained standing after a massive earthquake crushed the city. It measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, killed nearly two thousand people, and left over a hundred thousand homeless after destroying about 80% of the city. It's a reminder of a tragic moment in history.

Millennium Cross

The Millennium Cross, situated on the peak of the mountain Vodno, is a tourist attraction. At 66 meters high, it is the biggest cross of the world and can be seen from 30 km away. It is build to celebrate 2000 years of the existence of Christianity.

Sveti Spas (Saint Salvation) Church

This church, one of the most famous landmarks in Skopje, is located between the Old Bazaar and the Kale Fortress. The interior of this attraction is significant in art, as it features a giant iconostasis (altar) carved out of wood. Blending biblical figures and local scenery, the depictions themselves are of topical interest. Goce Delchev, a national hero for his involvement in the late 19th century struggle for Macedonian liberation, is buried in the church backyard.

Saint Panteleimon church

The church of Saint Panteleimon in Nerezi near Skopje is a superb example of the Comnenian art on the all-Byzantine level. Commissioned by several members of the royal Comnenus family, the church was not finished until 1164. Nerezi is famous for its frescoes, representing a pinnacle of the 12th-century trend of intimacy and spirituality. They are often compared with similarly delicate works by Giotto[citation needed], who worked 140 years later. These murals underwent serious 19th-century overpainting but were restored lately.

Kursumli An

This former Turkish inn features architecturally interesting arches and domes. Because lead was used to top the structure, it became known as the Lead Inn (Kursumli An).Now it is sharing its location with a national museum for Macedonia. This type of structure, once common in Islamic cities, is known as a ‘’caravanserai.” Its appearance is identical to those of the caravan sarais that were built in the Islamic urban centers of these times. It is an impressive building with decorated walls and numerous small domes of a pyramidal shape. Its roof was covered by lead, and this is how its name originated (kuršum in Turkish language means lead).

Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Of the old mosques in the city, Mustapha Pasha Mosque is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings of Islamic architecture in Skopje. Located on a hill facing Fort Kale, this mosque dominates the whole surroundings and was built in the last decade of the 15th century when the military spahi system of Osmanli Turkish feudalism had reached the peak of its development. It is an endowment of Mustapha Pasha, an eminent figure in the Turkish state during the rule of Sultan Bayezid II and Sultan Selim I. The year of Mustapha Pasha's death is engraved on the entrance of his mausoluem, which is located by the mosque. It shows him to have died in 1519. The mausoleum and the mosque were both badly damaged in Skopje's 1963 earthquake, and restoration and conservation work was started in 1968. The interior of the mosque, like that of the porch, is mostly decorated with stylized plants. On the walls of the praying space are calligraphic inscriptions (lehve) with the names of Allah, Mohammed and his followers (Ebubekira, Ali, Osman and Omer) and quotations from the Qu'ran. The painted decorations are more recent, mainly from 1933 when the mosque was renovated. This can be seen from the intense blue and black color of the ornaments, which are often a confusing mass of color. Most of the city's 1930s 'Balkan Art Nouveau' buildings were also destroyed in 1963 but some characteristic examples remain. Non-worshippers are not always granted access, but the building is at least lovely on the outside, with well-maintained gardens.

Other sites

An ancient Roman aqueduct survives to the north of the city. One of stone bridges connecting both side of Vardar River dates back to the reign of Stefan Dušan. This bridge is not to be confused with the more famous Stone Bridge in the city square.

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