Complex history of the Balkans

Capital of Macedonia Skopje Skopje - the capital and largest city of Macedonia. The city's name derives from the Greek word «skopios», which means "tower". Skopje is the capital of Macedonia since 1991 and is located in the northern part of the country. The city is located in mountainous areas: north of Skopje, is mountain-Skopska Crna Gora, in the south - Mount Water. Skopje is located on both banks of the Vardar River. River Valley allowed the city to expand, and today has a population of 600,000 people. The old city walls first settlement, which was near the modern city of Skopje, is mentioned in historical records dating from III century BC Then there was an ancient city called stingy. In 164 BC Scoop was captured by the Roman army, after which he becomes the center of the province of Moesia, which predominantly inhabited by Thracian tribes. In 84 or 85 year there was founded a colony Aelia Flavia Scoop, which eventually turned into a big city. Pasha mosque Mastafa Since ancient times, Macedonia was an important transportation center on the route linking the North-Western Balkans and Central Europe with the Aegean coast, where the port of Thessaloniki as well as the Black Sea and the Adriatic. The ancient city was destroyed by earthquake, which occurred in 518 year. Emperor Justinian I rebuilt the city and turned it into an episcopal residence of Justinian Prima, whose successor was the Bulgarian archbishop of Ohrid. 593-594 winter's city was destroyed again, this time the tribes of the Slavs. Cross the Millennium IX-X centuries Skopje was part of the First Bulgarian Empire. In 980, Bulgaria has managed King novel, which had their places of residence of Skopje. The city remained the capital of the kingdom until 992, when Bulgaria fell under the onslaught of the Byzantine Empire. In 1018 Macedonia became the center of the Byzantine province of Bulgaria. In the middle of the XIII century, Macedonia became the center of possession of King Constantine Asen, who ruled Bulgaria from 1257 to 1277 years. Since the end of the XIII century Macedonia became part of Serbia. During the reign of King Stefan Dusan of Serbia, this city was the capital of the Serbian Empire from 1331 to 1355 years. Fortress Kale January 19, 1392 the city was conquered by the Ottoman troops under the command of Evrenos-Bey, and was then renamed Uskyub. Skopje remained under Turkish rule until 1912, which went down in history as the year of Revival of Bulgarian society. The Bulgarians in Macedonia were among the first who stood in opposition to the patriarchate of Constantinople and raised the question about the opening of schools teaching in Bulgarian. At the end of XIX century, the city of Skopje was the third most important administrative center in Macedonia after the Thessaloniki and Bitola. Since 1913 Skopje is a member of the Serbian kingdom, which after 1918 became known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929 Skopje became part of Yugoslavia. The composition of Bulgaria's city was in October 1915 to September 1918 and from April 1941 to September 1944 Stone Bridge over Vardar Skopje recently transformed into a modern European city. In the capital of Macedonia is a large number of historical and architectural monuments that may interest the curious tourists. One of the main attractions is the Stone Bridge, which is located in the center of Skopje, and connects the old and new part of town. It is believed that the bridge was built in the VI century, while the city was rebuilt after the earthquake, 518 years on the orders of Emperor Justinian I. Another interesting tourist attraction can be considered as the Millennium Cross, which was set to mark 2000 years of Christianity. The height of the cross reaches 66 meters. It is located on a mountaintop Water, south of Skopje. Church of St. Panteleimon in nonresonant Hradiste on the hill, which is the highest point in Skopje, is the medieval fortress of Calais. Once had a stronghold of great strategic importance, it is well preserved to this day. The castle was built in the VI century, when Macedonia was at the mercy of the Byzantine Empire. The length of its stone walls is 121 meters. According to archeologists, the stones that went into the construction of the fortress were taken from the ruins of the ancient city sparingly. At the heart of the old Skopje was rebuilt the old bazaar, which existed in the city during the Ottoman Empire. Also worth a look at the Church of St. Panteleimon in the village of nonresonant. The church was built in 1164, its walls are decorated with wonderful medieval frescoes. See also other materials about the capital of Macedonia: The main attraction of the capital of Macedonia