32
WIZZ MAGAZINE
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012
S
ummertime and the livin’ is
easy, runs the famous George
Gershwin song – and nowhere
more so than in Skopje,
Macedonia’s small but buzzing capital.
Except that here the summer vibe lasts
well into autumn, with temperatures still
hitting 25˚ Celsius well into October.
The city’s vibrant bar and café scene,
long appreciated by locals, is now
attracting increasing numbers of visitors
from elsewhere, drawn also by Skopje’s
intriguing cultural heritage – the Ottoman
Turks held sway here for over five centuries
–
and Macedonia’s growing reputation as
the Balkans’ best-kept secret.
An obvious starting point for any
exploration of Skopje is Macedonia Square,
in which stands the enormous – and, to
some minds, controversial – Warrior on
A Horse statue. Standing 22 metres high
and surrounded by synchronised fountains
and larger-than-life carved lions on
sentinel duty, the statue is a thinly veiled
representation of Alexander the Great,
Macedonia’s famous son. Whether the
eponymous hero actually hailed from here
or from the neighbouring part of Greece –
as the Greeks claim – is a continuing source
of debate, but his iconic status in both
countries is beyond dispute.
At the base of the statue I meet Dime
Melovski, born and bred in Skopje and an
aficionado on where to go, what to see
COVER FEATURE
SKOP J E
BELOW:
THE GEMIDZII
MONUMENT BESIDE THE
VARDAR RIVER
LEFT:
A BOWL OF PINJUR,
A DELICIOUS LOCAL
SPECIALITY
RIGHT:
BUILT
BY THE OTTOMANS IN
1492,
MUSTAFA PASHA
IS SKOPJE’S LARGEST
MOSQUE
