Eye Bridge

About

The 1963 Skopje earthquake destroyed approximately 80% of the city, including most of the neoclassical buildings in the central part of Skopje. The rebuilding that followed saw the construction of mostly plain modernist architecture. This is one of the reasons given by the VMRO-DPMNE government for the necessity of the project, to give Skopje a more monumental and visually pleasing image. Another reason is to restore the missing sense of national pride and create a more metropolitan atmosphere. In a speech at the opening of Porta Macedonia in January 2012, then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski stated that Skopje 2014 was his idea.

See also: Antiquization and Macedonian historiography The Skopje 2014 project has been criticized by various groups since the time it was first announced. The cost of the project is estimated at anywhere from 80 to more than 500 million euros and is seen by many as a waste of resources in a country with high unemployment and poverty. The project is also believed by critics to be a distraction from these problems.

The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, the main opposition party, opposes the project and has alleged that the monuments could have cost six to ten times less than what the government paid.

The project is seen as a part of the government's "antiquisation" policy, in which the country seeks to claim ancient Macedonian figures like Alexander the Great and Philip II of Macedon for itself. The timing of the project, following the country's non-invitation to NATO due to its continued naming dispute with Greece, has led to speculation that it is retaliation or an attempt to put pressure on Greece. Some residents see the scheme as the embodiment of nationalism by a conservative government focused as much on giving the metropolis a facelift as changing the nation's history and have described it as a mini- Las Vegas while others appreciate its classical nod to the past.

Sam Vaknin, a former adviser to Nikola Gruevski, has stated that the project is not anti-Greek or anti-Bulgarian, but anti-Albanian. In an interview, he said "Antiquisation has a double goal, which is to marginalise the Albanians and create an identity that will not allow Albanians to become Macedonians." To shift attention from Albanians being absent from the Skopje 2014 project, the Macedonian government agreed to fund Skanderbeg Square built around the existing Skanderbeg monument in the part of Skopje with a majority Albanian population. Later additions to the Skopje 2014 project were made that included depictions of ethnic Albanians in the monuments such as Nexhat Agolli, Josif Bageri, and Pjetër Bogdani, as well as others on the Art Bridge.

Architects have criticized the aesthetics of the project and believe the money could have been spent on constructing modern buildings. It has also been described as nationalist kitsch which "brings unknown history" to the citizens and former prime minister Zoran Zaev has labeled it an "idiotic project". Instead of leading to the recognition and acceptance that the country was seeking, the project produced international ridicule and scorn.

In late February 2018, the government and institutions of the Republic of Macedonia announced the halt of the Skopje 2014 program and began removing its controversial monuments and statues. The Macedonian Ministry of Culture also has set up a Commission to envisage the possibility of removing the rest of them, such as the monuments of Alexander the Great and Philip II of Macedon. As a first step, the monument of Andon Kyoseto, which was one of the mostly disputed monuments of the project, was dismantled. In June 2018, the Macedonian Government announced that the monuments would be renamed and marked with inscriptions honouring Greek-Macedonian friendship. The monument of Boris Sarafov was also dismantled without explanation in 2018 by municipal authorities.

As of July 13, 2021, it was reported that some of the monuments of the “Skopje 2014” revamp were already crumbling. Cracks and crevices are visible in many of them, exposing use of poor building materials, and that the damage would be worse if an earthquake rages over Skopje again.

See also: Antiquization and Macedonian historiography The Skopje 2014 project has been criticized by various groups since the time it was first announced. The cost of the project is estimated at anywhere from 80 to more than 500 million euros and is seen by many as a waste of resources in a country with high unemployment and poverty. The project is also believed by critics to be a distraction from these problems.

The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, the main opposition party, opposes the project and has alleged that the monuments could have cost six to ten times less than what the government paid.

The project is seen as a part of the government's "antiquisation" policy, in which the country seeks to claim ancient Macedonian figures like Alexander the Great and Philip II of Macedon for itself. The timing of the project, following the country's non-invitation to NATO due to its continued naming dispute with Greece, has led to speculation that it is retaliation or an attempt to put pressure on Greece. Some residents see the scheme as the embodiment of nationalism by a conservative government focused as much on giving the metropolis a facelift as changing the nation's history and have described it as a mini- Las Vegas while others appreciate its classical nod to the past.

Sam Vaknin, a former adviser to Nikola Gruevski, has stated that the project is not anti-Greek or anti-Bulgarian, but anti-Albanian. In an interview, he said "Antiquisation has a double goal, which is to marginalise the Albanians and create an identity that will not allow Albanians to become Macedonians." To shift attention from Albanians being absent from the Skopje 2014 project, the Macedonian government agreed to fund Skanderbeg Square built around the existing Skanderbeg monument in the part of Skopje with a majority Albanian population. Later additions to the Skopje 2014 project were made that included depictions of ethnic Albanians in the monuments such as Nexhat Agolli, Josif Bageri, and Pjetër Bogdani, as well as others on the Art Bridge.

Architects have criticized the aesthetics of the project and believe the money could have been spent on constructing modern buildings. It has also been described as nationalist kitsch which "brings unknown history" to the citizens and former prime minister Zoran Zaev has labeled it an "idiotic project". Instead of leading to the recognition and acceptance that the country was seeking, the project produced international ridicule and scorn.

In late February 2018, the government and institutions of the Republic of Macedonia announced the halt of the Skopje 2014 program and began removing its controversial monuments and statues. The Macedonian Ministry of Culture also has set up a Commission to envisage the possibility of removing the rest of them, such as the monuments of Alexander the Great and Philip II of Macedon. As a first step, the monument of Andon Kyoseto, which was one of the mostly disputed monuments of the project, was dismantled. In June 2018, the Macedonian Government announced that the monuments would be renamed and marked with inscriptions honouring Greek-Macedonian friendship. The monument of Boris Sarafov was also dismantled without explanation in 2018 by municipal authorities.

As of July 13, 2021, it was reported that some of the monuments of the “Skopje 2014” revamp were already crumbling. Cracks and crevices are visible in many of them, exposing use of poor building materials, and that the damage would be worse if an earthquake rages over Skopje again.

Main article: Art Bridge The Skopje 2014 project calls for two new pedestrian bridges to be built across the Vardar in the centre of the city. One is the Art Bridge, which is being constructed between the Freedom Bridge and the also under-construction Eye Bridge. It is expected to cost 2.5 million euros. The bridge will include 29 sculptures, with 14 at each end and one in the centre. It will be 83 metres (272.3 feet) in length and 9.2 m (30.2 ft) in width, while the central part of the bridge will be 12 m (39.4 ft) wide.

The other bridge being constructed as part of the project is the Eye Bridge. Situated between the Stone Bridge and the under-construction Art Bridge, it began construction in 2011. The pedestrian bridge will include 28 sculptures and will cost around 1.5 million euros.

The project also includes plans to renovate existing bridges in central Skopje, one of which is the Freedom Bridge, which connects Vojvoda Vasil Adžilarski Street in Centar Municipality to Stiv Naumov Street in Čair Municipality. First constructed in 1936, the renovation began in 2011 and is expected to be completed in May, 2014. The total cost will be roughly 1.15 million euros.

The renovation of the Goce Delčev Bridge, which connects Ilinden Boulevard in Centar to Goce Delčev Boulevard in Čair across the Vardar, began on April 11, 2011 and finished later in the year. The renovation included new gold-coloured fencing and 26 lampposts. The project cost roughly 500,000 euros, including 60,000 euros for the new lighting. Four statues depicting lions, two at each end, were also placed on the bridge in 2010. The ones on the western side were cast in Florence and cost 1.5 million euros.

The Revolution Bridge, first built in 1963 across the Vardar connecting Kočo Racin Boulevard in Centar to Krste Misirkov Boulevard in Čair, was also renovated as part of the Skopje 2014 project. It began on December 9, 2010 and was completed in May, 2011. The renovation included basic repairs as well as the installation of 22 lampposts and iron-wrought fencing. The renovation cost 450,000 euros.