North Macedonia, a landlocked country with about 1.8 million people, shares borders with Serbia, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. After gaining its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the country selected the name of Macedonia.  However, Greece disputed the use of that name because the term Macedonia is part of Greek’s culture and history. In addition, Greece also had a problem with the Vergina Sun image on Macedonia’s flag and claiming that Alexander the Great and others were from Macedonia. Greeks argued that the Macedonians were stealing their historical symbols and figures. So in 2018 in order to maintain peace and increase the likelihood of joining the EU some day, Macedonia changed its name to North Macedonia, revised its flag, and stopped describing Alexander the Great and other semi-well-known figures as from the newly-named country. 

Statues dominate parks, plazas, and bridges in central Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. The city erected many statues about a decade ago as part of its “Skopje 2014” revitalization project. Reportedly, locals counted over 1,000 statues in the city center, with some figurines standing on rooftops.  This post includes only a small portion of the 200 to 300 we saw during our week there. 

The Warrior on a Horse (Alexander the Great) statue and fountain overshadows all other features of Macedonia Square. The monument, unveiled on the 20th anniversary of the independence of Macedonia, September 8, 2011, weighs 30 tons and stands 28 meters tall, 24.5 meters of which is the giant pedestal. 

From Macedonia Square we crossed the Vardar River via the Stone Bridge to the statues honoring the parents of Alexander the Great, King Philip II of Macedon and Olympias, the king’s fourth wife. Olympias is reported to be the first woman to actively participate in government and political events in Greece. 

Monument to Saints Cyril and Methodius, inventors of the cyrillic alphabet

The Monument to the Woman Fighter, with white columns, four bronze horses, and topped with a bronze angel, was placed in the city center in 1970 to honor women’s roles during World War II. In front of the large piece stands a statue of Prometheus, a god who gave humans the gift of fire.  An uproar occurred when the statue was added to the park in 2012 because the figure was naked.  The artist added a bronze loin cloth to squelch the controversy. And maybe to poke fun or show his displeasure at the whole situation, he included a small tragedy drama mask on the loin cloth just above the figure’s left hip bone. 

The 15th century Stone Bridge with its 13 travertine arches connects Macedonia Square to the Old Skopje Bazaar. We found the small, playful statue of the two divers in the Vardar River near the center of the bridge. 

The Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia leads to the nation’s large archeological museum. With a fountain in the middle, the 2013 bridge across the Vardar River displays 28 statues of important national and international individuals.

We walked across the Bridge of Art, another popular, pedestrian passageway over the river near Macedonia Square. Its 83 meters include 35 statues of noted Macedonian educators, writers, artists, composers, and actors. 

Built as part of the “Skopje 2014” project, The Triumphal Porta Macedonia in Pella Square commemorates North Macedonia’s 20 years of independence. The statues and reliefs of the 21-meter-tall arch portray important events in the country’s history. 

Nobel Prize winner Mother Teresa was born in Skopje in 1910 and lived there until she was 18 years old. In 2009 the city built a the Memorial House of Mother Teresa which includes a museum on the first floor and a beautiful glass-walled chapel on the second level.  The memorial stands on the same site as a previous church where she was baptized as a newborn.  

We rode the Vodno Mountain Ropeway up to the peak (1,066 meters) to get an up-close look at the Millenium Cross, one of the world’s largest crucifixes and visible from any place in Skopje. Built in 2000 to symbolize 2,000 years of Christianity in the country, the cross includes an interior elevator to reach to top of the 66-meter-tall structure.  Sadly, the lift was not operating during our afternoon visit. 

We visited quite a few churches in Skopje and selected three of the most memorable for this post, plus one stunning, under-construction church that we hope to see in the future when it is completed. 

The 14th century Church of the Holy Savior, likely the oldest preserved church in the capital city, sits two meters underground because the Turks ruling at that time did not allow churches to be taller than mosques. The wooden bell tower was added later. From 1817 to 1824 master craftsmen Makarije Frčkovski and brothers Petar and Marko Filipovski created the large, elaborate iconostatsis, measuring 12 meters long by 7 meters high. Their intricate wood carvings display important biblical scenes. 

Eighteenth century artisans built the Church of Saint Demetrius in the shape of a ship.  Its three interior aisles were not obvious during our visit because very few chairs were present. The big earthquake of 1963 damaged the church and restoration work included the addition of frescoes by Krste Koloski, who painted the pieces from 1968 to 1973. 

The Church of Saint Clement of Ohrid, affectionately known as the “bubble” church because of its unique architecture, is the largest Orthodox Church in North Macedonia. Construction of the church and interior artwork took 18 years and it was completed in 1990. 

The under-construction Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Helena is in the form of a cross with a white travertine and gold exterior. Work began on the church in 2012. 

In almost every town or city we explore we stumble upon surprising things not listed in any travel guide or blog.  The sales lady at the Lift Market in Skopje said we were welcome to look around and take a few photos. Our apartment building did not have an elevator and we should have asked her how many lifts the store sells each year. The grand piano flower box occupied a grassy area in Rebellion Square near the Fountain of the Mothers of Macedonia. 

We drove about 200 kilometers southwest from Skopje to the city of Ohrid, North Macedonia’s largest summer tourist destination because of its beaches on Lake Ohrid and the very clear lake water due to underground springs. The city and lake are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ohrid, home to about 55,000 residents, is the 8th largest city in the country and was at one time called Macedonian Jerusalem because it had 365 churches.  

Tsar Samuels Fortress, considered to be the largest castle in the country, covers 8,400 square meters and at one time had 18 large towers and 4 gates. At the end of the 10th century it was the designated capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. Archeologists believe that the fortress was built on the site of an even older stronghold.

In 905 AD Prince Vladimir built the beautiful Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon on a hill overlooking Lake Ohrid. It is considered to be one of the most sacred churches in North Macedonia and thousands of Orthodox Christians gather there to worship on important religious holidays. At the time of our visit, artisans were restoring most of the interior, so we saw only a few of the colorful, Byzantine-style frescoes covering 900 square meters. 

We took a boat ride to see the 10th century Monastery of Saint Naum, about 30 kilometers from the city of Ohrid.  Our favorite little church at the monastery complex is dedicated to Saint Mary. It is built over one of the springs of Lake Ohrid and the baptistry is naturally filled with the fresh, holy water.

During our two weeks in North Macedonia, we ate several classic Macedonian foods. Left photo – baked cheese with tomato sauce served with thin, seeded bread; a nice alternative to pizza. Middle photo – Tavče gravče consists of beans (usually white) baked in a clay pot, seasoned with paprika, herbs, onions, and peppers. Right photo – Ohrid cake is made with nuts mixed into caramel candies (such as used for candy apples) with crushed biscuits between the layers and a thin layer of chocolate frosting; sweet, but not sickeningly sweet.

We ordered the Macedonian plate at a traditional restaurant in Ohrid. Clockwise starting at 6 o’clock: bread, cheese, ajvar, garlic dip, pindzur (similar to a salsa), leek dip (similar to tzatziki), cheese-stuffed pepper, and fried zucchini in the center.