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The Stone Bridge ( mk, , , tr, Taşköprü) is a bridge across the
The Stone Bridge is built of solid stone blocks and is supported by firm columns that are connected with 12 semicircular arcs. The bridge is long and wide. The guardhouse has recently been reconstructed.
Macedonia, Jovan Popovski, Turistička štampa, 1969, p. 66.
/ref> Most of the Stone Bridge originates from the Ottoman period and throughout the centuries, the Stone Bridge was often damaged and then repaired. There is historical evidence that it once suffered during the great earthquake of 1555 which heavily damaged or destroyed four pillars. Renovations were carried out the same year. Some executions have also taken place on this bridge, such as the execution of Karposh in 1689. In 1944, explosives were placed on the bridge by Nazis. Upon a request from city notables, the Germans gave up at the last minute and the bridge was saved from destruction. The last reconstruction of the bridge began in 1994. Over seven years during the Stone Bridge refurbishment of the 1990s, people were not allowed to cross the structure and for many craftsmen from the nearby Old Bazaar it resulted in negative economic effects. The
File:Skopski Kameni Most stara.jpg, Stone Bridge and Macedonia Square in the early 1920s
File:Skopje old tykish bridge on Vardar river in 1909.jpg, Stone Bridge in 1909
File:Skopje-kamen-most.jpg, Inscription on the bridge
File:Stonebridgeskopje.JPG, Stone Bridge at night
File:Karposh memory table Skopje.JPG, Memorial plaque on the site of Karposh's execution
Puente de Piedra, Skopie, Macedonia, 2014-04-17, DD 69.JPG, View from the top
Puente de Piedra, Skopie, Macedonia, 2014-04-16, DD 28.JPG, Lateral view
Kameni most.jpg, Stone Bridge, photo from the 1950s
Pogled kon Kamen most i Plostadot.tif, A view of Stone Bridge and the Square
Vardar River
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
in Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
. The bridge is also less frequently known as the Dušan Bridge ( Macedonian and Serbian: Душанов мост) after Stephen Dušan, Emperor of Serbia.
The bridge is considered a symbol of Skopje and is the main element of the coat of arms of the city, which in turn is incorporated in the city's flag. It is located in Centar municipality and it connects Macedonia Square to the Old Bazaar
The Old Bazaar ( mk, Стара чаршија, ''Stara čaršija''; ; tr, Eski Çarşı or Üsküp Türk Çarşısı) is a bazaar located in Skopje, North Macedonia, situated on the eastern bank of the Vardar River, stretching from the Stone Br ...
.
Architecture
The Stone Bridge is built of solid stone blocks and is supported by firm columns that are connected with 12 semicircular arcs. The bridge is long and wide. The guardhouse has recently been reconstructed.
History
The current Stone Bridge was built on Roman foundations under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror between 1451 and 1469./ref> Most of the Stone Bridge originates from the Ottoman period and throughout the centuries, the Stone Bridge was often damaged and then repaired. There is historical evidence that it once suffered during the great earthquake of 1555 which heavily damaged or destroyed four pillars. Renovations were carried out the same year. Some executions have also taken place on this bridge, such as the execution of Karposh in 1689. In 1944, explosives were placed on the bridge by Nazis. Upon a request from city notables, the Germans gave up at the last minute and the bridge was saved from destruction. The last reconstruction of the bridge began in 1994. Over seven years during the Stone Bridge refurbishment of the 1990s, people were not allowed to cross the structure and for many craftsmen from the nearby Old Bazaar it resulted in negative economic effects. The
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
shaped like a mihrab was reconstructed in 2008.
Two parts of Skopje that have symbolised its urban contrasts of "Ottoman" or "modern", the "historic" or "socialist", "Albanian" or "Macedonian" are split by the river Vardar and linked by the Stone Bridge. In the twenty first century, members of the majority and minority groups of the capital city view the stone bridge as representing the split between two parts of Skopje.
Gallery
See also
*Ottoman architecture
Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influences from Byzantine a ...
References
{{Skopje Bridges completed in 1469 Bridges in Skopje Pedestrian bridges in North Macedonia Ottoman bridges in North Macedonia Stone arch bridges Old Bazaar, Skopje