The groups of people who have settled or controlled the territory of modern-day

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

have influenced the country in many ways, one of the most visible being architecture. These groups of people include the

Paionians Paeonians () were an ancient Indo-European people that dwelt in Paeonia. Paeonia was an old country whose location was to the north of Ancient Macedonia, to the south of Dardania, to the west of Thrace and to the east of Illyria, most of their ...

Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...

Ancient Macedonians The Macedonians (, ) were an ancient tribe that lived on the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Vardar, Axios in the northeastern part of Geography of Greece#Mainland, mainland Greece. Essentially an Ancient Greece, ancient ...

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, Byzantines,

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

Yugoslavs Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslaveni/Jugosloveni, Југославени/Југословени; ; ) is an identity that was originally conceived to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has been used in two connotations: ...

, and ethnic Macedonians.

Early architecture

The earliest example of architectural activity in North Macedonia date from the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and consist of structures associated with Megalith culture.

Kokino Kokino () is a Bronze Age archaeological site in the Republic of North Macedonia, approximately 30 km from the town of Kumanovo, and about 6 km from the Serbian border, in the Staro Nagoričane Municipality. It is situated between abou ...

is the fourth oldest megalithic observatory in the world. The site consists of rocks crafted in a way that lets one observe celestial objects.

Architecture of Ancient Macedonia

Remnants of the architecture from the times of the ancient Macedonian Kingdom are scattered throughout North Macedonia, especially in the south of the former territory of

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

Heraclea Lyncestis Heraclea Lyncestis, also transliterated Herakleia Lynkestis (; ; ), was an Ancient Greek architecture, ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. Its ruins are situated south of the present-day town of Bitola, North Macedonia. In ...

, founded in the middle of the 4th century BC, was an important strategical town as it bordered

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

to the west and the Paeonian kingdoms to the north.

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

architecture dominates the site today because of the level of the excavations which are exposing the layers from the Roman times. The Ancient Theatre in present-day

Ohrid Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...

was built during the 1st century BC. It was part of the ancient town of Lychnidos. It is reconstructed and in use today. Its location between two hills that surround it keep it protected from winds that could interfere with acoustics during performances.

Roman architecture

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...

is scattered throughout the country.

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

is home to a few examples of this type of architecture. One is the

Skopje Aqueduct The Skopje Aqueduct () is an aqueduct and archaeological site located in the neighbourhood of Vizbegovo, northwest of central Skopje, North Macedonia. The Skopje Aqueduct is the only aqueduct in Macedonia, and one of three largest and well pr ...

, the only aqueduct in North Macedonia. It consists of 55 stone arches. Another example is

Scupi Scupi (; ) is an archaeological site located between Zajčev Rid (''Зајчев Рид'' 'Rabbit Hill') and the Vardar River, several kilometers from the center of modern Skopje in North Macedonia. A Roman military camp was founded here in the se ...

. Although not much remains of this archaeological site, burial grounds and a theatre are somewhat visible. Although it was founded by the

, most of the remains of

are from Roman occupation. These remains include a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

and a large theatre. Other examples of Roman architecture in North Macedonia includes the many Roman ruins in and around the town of

Strumica Strumica (, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedonian (PDF) in so ...

. One of the largest is a well-preserved Roman thermae, built during

Late Antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

Medieval Bulgarian and Serbian architecture

On and off from 893 A.D. to the 13th century, some or all of today's North Macedonia had been controlled by the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...

and the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

. This resulted in buildings concentrated particularly in Ohrid which was the capital of the

from 968/972 to 1018 AD. This includes historic churches and monasteries like the Church of Saint Sophia, the

Monastery of Saint Naum The Monastery of Saint Naum () is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery. It is named after the medieval Bulgarian writer and enlightener Saint Naum who founded it. The monastery is situated in North Macedonia, along Lake Ohrid, south of the city of ...

and the

Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon The Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon (; ) is a Byzantine church situated on Plaošnik in Ohrid, North Macedonia. It is attributed to Saint Clement of Ohrid, a disciple of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. Archaeologists have come to beli ...

. By 1345, king

Stefan Dušan Stephen (honorific), Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан), also known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Силни; – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Emperor of th ...

of the

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српско царство, Srpsko carstvo, separator=" / ", ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expande ...

had taken over half of the Balkans including the region of Macedonia and declared himself the new

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

. The Serbs ruled the territory of modern North Macedonia until end of the 14th century. During their rule, they built notable architecture such as Psača Monastery,

Markovi Kuli Markovi Kuli or Marko's Towers (, ) are situated in the northwest of Prilep, North Macedonia, just above the neighbourhood of Varoš. The towers, named after Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto ...

, and the Church of Saint George.

Byzantine architecture

Byzantine architecture Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the Fall of Cons ...

is one of the most prominent forms of architecture in North Macedonia. It is mostly seen in churches and monasteries, such as the Treskavec monastery near

Prilep Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308. Name The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...

Ottoman architecture

The

controlled the land of present-day Macedonia for about five centuries. They left their mark with the many mosques and other Islamic buildings they constructed.

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

is predominant in some parts of Skopje, especially the city's

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

Mustafa Pasha Mosque Mustafa Pasha Mosque (; ; ) is an Ottoman-era mosque located in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, North Macedonia. History The structure stands on a plateau above the old bazaar, built in 1492 by Çoban Mustafa Pasha, who later became vizier on the co ...

is one of the most famous Ottoman buildings in North Macedonia. Built in 1492, the mosque is square in shape and the diameter of the dome is 16 meters. The pillars of the porch are decorated by stalactite decorations that are typical of Ottoman architecture. Ottoman architecture can also been seen in

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

and

Tetovo Tetovo (, ; , sq-definite, Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena (river), Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, wit ...

19th-century architecture

Examples of neoclassical or baroque architecture are throughout the country but can be rare and limited to one structure per city. Neoclassical architecture can be seen in Skopje (

Ristiḱ Palace Ristiḱ Palace (Serbian Cyrillic: Ристићева палата; Macedonian: Ристиќева палата, ''Ristikjeva palata'', Albanian: Pallati Ristiq) is a monumental symbolic building at Macedonia Square (with the 'СКОПСКО' si ...

). The exception to this pattern is in Bitola.

Širok Sokak Širok Sokak (, meaning "Wide Alley", from the Turkish word for "Street") is a long pedestrian street in Bitola, Macedonia. The street is considered to be the centre of Bitola. It roughly starts at Magnolia Square and ends in the City Park. It is ...

street is filled with neoclassical and baroque architecture and a Gothic Catholic church. File:Centarot na Skopje pred zemjotresot.jpg, Skopje center in the first half of 20th century File:Skopje-razglednica 014.jpg, Skopje's National Theatre and Kale Fortress before the 1963 earthquake File:Risticpalace-night.JPG, The

in Skopje

Yugoslav period

Interwar modernism

Yugoslav architecture emerged in the first decades of the 20th century before the establishment of the state; during this period a number of South Slavic creatives, enthused by the possibility of statehood, organized a series of art exhibitions in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

in the name of a shared Slavic identity. Following governmental centralization after the 1918 creation of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

, this initial bottom-up enthusiasm began to fade. Yugoslav architecture became more and more dictated by an increasingly concentrated national authority which sought to establish a unified state identity. Beginning in the 1920s, Yugoslav architects began to advocate for

architectural modernism Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architecture wa ...

, viewing the style as the logical extension of progressive national narratives. The Group of Architects of the Modern Movement, an organization founded in 1928 by architects Branislav Đ Kojić,

Milan Zloković Milan Zloković ( Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Злоковић) (Trieste, April 6, 1898 - Belgrade, May 29, 1965) was a Serbian architect. His works epitomised two epochs of architecture in Belgrade. Biography Zloković studied in Graz (191 ...

, Jan Dubovy, and Dusan Babic, pushed for the widespread adoption of modern architecture as the "national" style of Yugoslavia to transcend regional differences. Despite these shifts, differing relationships to the West made the adoption of modernism inconsistent in Yugoslavia during WWII; while the westernmost republics of

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

were familiar with Western influence and eager to adopt modernism, long-Ottoman

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

remained more resistant to do so. Of all Yugoslavian cities,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

has the highest concentration of modernist structures. File:Skopje, razglednica so Gradska bolnica, 1930.jpg, The Skopje City Hospital was designed in 1930 by Drago Ebler File:Antigua_estación_de_ferrocarril,_Skopie,_Macedonia,_2014-04-17,_DD_15.JPG, Old Skopje Train Station

Socialist realism and creation of national architecture (1945–48)

Immediately following

World War II in Yugoslavia World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was Invasion of Yugoslavia, invaded and swiftly conquered by Axis powers, Axis forces and partitioned among Nazi Germany, Germany, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), It ...

, the Macedonian national architecture was established in the

Socialist Republic of Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

after its creation as part of

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. Macedonian architects then mostly relied on Yugoslav and Bulgarian scholarly works. They were also educated in Yugoslav academic institutions. Yugoslavia's brief association with the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

ushered in a short period of socialist realism. Centralization within the communist model led to the abolishment of private architectural practices and the state control of the profession. During this period, the governing Communist Party condemned modernism as "bourgeois formalism," a move that caused friction among the nation's pre-war modernist architectural elite.

Socialist modernism

Socialist realist architecture in Yugoslavia came to an abrupt end with

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

's 1948 split with Stalin. In the following years the nation turned increasingly to the West, returning to the modernism that had characterized pre-war Yugoslav architecture. During this era, modernist architecture came to symbolize the nation's break from the USSR (a notion that later diminished with the growing acceptability of modernism in the Eastern Bloc). File:St. Clement Church Skopje 3.jpg, Orthodox Cathedral Saint Clement of Ohrid

Slavko Brezoski Slavko Brezoski (; 10 June 1922 – 7 March 2017) was a Macedonian architect, urban planner, painter, writer and educator known for his works in the genre of modern architecture realised during the middle of the 20th century in modern-day North Ma ...

, Skopje, 1972 File:Stokovna kukja Skopje, 1962.jpg, Stokovna Kukja by Slavko Brezoski, Skopje, 1962 File:Rabotnički Dom.jpg, Rabotnički Dom by Slavko Brezoski, Skopje, 1963 File:Hotel Neda in Galičnik by Slavko Brezoski.jpg, Hotel Neda Slavko Brezoski, Galičnik, 1983 File:Hotel Slavija Popova Shapka.jpg, Hotel Slavija by Slavko Brezoski, 1960s File:High Rise Slavko Brezoski.jpg, Apartment block 'Papagal' by Slavko Brezoski, 1957

Memorials

During this period, the Yugoslav break from Soviet socialist realism combined with efforts to commemorate World War II, which together led to the creation of an immense quantity of abstract sculptural

war memorials War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

Brutalism

In the late 1950s and early 1960s

Brutalism Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

began to garner a following within Yugoslavia, particularly among younger architects, a trend possibly influenced by the 1959 disbandment of the

Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne The ''Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne'' (CIAM), or International Congresses of Modern Architecture, was an organization founded in 1928 and disbanded in 1959, responsible for a series of events and congresses arranged across Europ ...

. Brutalism's growing influence in the nation was most prominently exemplified in reconstruction efforts of Skopje following a destructive 1963 earthquake. Japanese architect Kenzo Tange played a key role in pushing for brutalism in the city, going so far as to propose a full redesign of Skopje in the style. The earthquake destroyed 80% of the city, the reconstruction effort received international attention and the world contributed a century of modern architectural knowledge to the effort of rebuilding. The winning teams included Kenzo Tange (Japan), Johannes van den Broek and

Jaap Bakema Jacob Berend "Jaap" Bakema (8 March 1914 – 20 February 1981) was a Dutch modernist architect. He is notable for design of public housing and involvement in the reconstruction of Rotterdam after the Second World War, and especially his work with ...

(Holland),

Luigi Piccinato Luigi Piccinato (30 October 1899 – 29 July 1983) was an Italian architect and town planner. Works * ''Urbanistica medioevale'', Florence, 1943 * Napoli Centrale railway station, Naples, 1954 * Stadio Adriatico, Pescara, 1955 * A-Block Apartme ...

(Italy), Maurice Rotival (USA),

Aleksandar Dordevik Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

(Yugoslavia), Eduard Ravnikar (Yugoslavia), Radovan Mischevik and Fedor Wenzler (Yugoslavia), and

(Yugoslavia). The result of the earthquake was the development of an urban master plan for the city, internationally inspired with a focus on social and urban modernisation, a catalyst for architectural development of Skopje and Macedonia. Reconstruction of Skopje was executed as a major international urban master plan and building effort, see Skopje Master Plan. File:E73a14 176e383174c04c1780e630dc4ef60736 mv2.jpg, Skopje Masterplan Model Kenzo Tange File:Students' dormitory Goce Delčev Skopje 8.jpg, Student dormitory (1971) by

Georgi Konstantinovski Georgi Konstantinovski (29 July 1930 – 8 December 2020) was a Macedonian architect, writer and educator. He graduated from the SS Cyril and Methodius University, Faculty of Architecture in Skopje in 1956 and received his Master of Architectur ...

in Skopje File:Skopje University Aerial 70s.webp, University of Skopje Campus by

Marko Mušič Marko Marijan Mušič (born 30 January 1941) is a Slovenian architect. He has designed buildings in cities such as Zagreb, Skopje and Ljubljana. Education Mušič studied architecture in Slovenia, the US and Denmark. Memberships From May 20 ...

, 1974 File:Muzej na sovremenata umetnost - Skopje (9).jpg, Contemporary Art Museum of Macedonia (1970) in Skopje File:Pošta vo Skopje, Macedonia.jpg, Skopje Central Post Office (1974) by

Janko Konstantinov Janko Konstantinov (; 18 January 1926 in Bitola, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes – 2010) is a Macedonian architect and artist. Education and career Janko Konstantinov studied at Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade Belgrade is t ...

in Skopje File:Hydrometeorological Institute Skopje 2.jpg, Hydrometeorological Institute (1979) by Krsto Todorovski in Skopje

Decentralization

With 1950s decentralization and liberalization policies in

, architecture became increasingly fractured along ethnic lines. Architects increasingly focused on building with reference to the architectural heritage of their individual socialist republics in the form of

critical regionalism Critical regionalism is an approach to architecture that strives to counter the placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture. The stylings ...

. Growing distinction of individual ethnic architectural identities within Yugoslavia was exacerbated with the 1972 decentralization of the formerly centralized historical preservation authority, providing individual regions further opportunity to critically analyze their own cultural narratives.

Contemporary architecture

Most of the modern buildings in North Macedonia are located in central Skopje. One example is the

MRT Center MRT Center is a modern-era high rise building in Skopje, North Macedonia. At 70 m (230 ft) high, it was the tallest building in the country from its completion until the taller 130 m (427 ft) Sky City Sky Scrapers project was ...

(the national TV broadcast station), rising to (70 m) which was the tallest building in the country until 2013 when the Cevahir Towers were built. Examples of modern architecture are also found in other cities, mainly

and

Gostivar Gostivar ( ; sq-definite, Gostivari) is a city in North Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is the seat of one of the larger municipalities in the country with a population of 59,770, and the town also covers . Gostivar has ...

Skopje 2014

Skopje 2014 Skopje 2014 () was a project financed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) of the then-ruling nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE, with the official purpose of giving the capital Skopje a more Classical architecture, ...

was a project with the purpose of giving the capital Skopje a neo-classical appeal, by constructing several buildings, mostly in the neoclassical style and altering facades of modernist buildings to look neo-classical, which has drawn criticism from architects as being

kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...

. The impact of the project continues to be controversial, due to the severe impact it has on damaging standards and guidelines drawn to develop the city by an international generation of architects as an architectural and social ecosystem.

References

{{Authority control Cultural history of North Macedonia M Culture of Yugoslavia