Skopje 2014

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Skopje 2014 is a project that was initiated in 2010 and provides for a fundamental architectural redesign of the North Macedonian capital Skopje . The project was stopped under Prime Minister Zoran Zaev .

Planning history

Former Macedonian President Nikola Gruevski , initiator of Skopje 2014

The project was considered a prestige project of the long-time Macedonian President Nikola Gruevski and his nationalist party, the VMRO-DPMNE . The aim of the project was to transform Skopje into a city that should express the new self-confidence and national feeling of North Macedonia. Originally a sum of € 80 million was estimated for the ambitious project, today the total costs are estimated at more than € 700 million. The cost explosion was accompanied by allegations of corruption against those in charge. Shortly after construction began in 2010, the Constitutional Court declared parts of the project illegal and demanded that construction be halted. However, the government disregarded the court's decision and continued work on the project. In 2014 the project was largely completed. After the social democrat Zoran Zaev became President of North Macedonia in 2017, criticism of the major project also grew louder. The new government announced that it would stop the project. Dismantling measures to restore former buildings and the city's cultural heritage were also discussed.

Construction work

Porta Macedonia

The numerous construction measures within the framework of the project included the construction of 20 buildings that house museums, administrative institutions and ministries. Numerous monuments dedicated to national heroes, including Alexander the Great, have also been erected . Many building measures were an expression of the nationalist orientation of the project. One of the most famous buildings of the project is the Triumphal Arch Porta Macedonia and the Makedonia Square behind it with a monumental equestrian statue of Alexander the Great.

criticism

During Gruevski's presidency, criticism of the project was not welcome. Igor Ivanovski , a politician from the then opposition Social Democrats, was fined almost € 5,000 for criticizing the project as a means of laundering money . The opaque tendering processes and the skyrocketing costs also led to allegations of corruption. The project was also sharply criticized stylistically and called national kitsch. It was also criticized that the extensive construction work had also destroyed the city's existing cultural heritage. Even in the tense relationship with neighboring Greece , the project and in particular the veneration of Alexander the Great as a Macedonian national hero caused further tensions.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The identity founder becomes a splitter - derStandard.at. Retrieved April 3, 2019 (Austrian German).
  2. ↑ mdr.de: Macedonia's government wants to stop the reconstruction of the capital Skopje | MDR.DE. Retrieved April 3, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Skopje 2014 - HUMBOLDT BALKAN COSMOS. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 (German).
  4. ↑ Ulf Brunnbauer: The project “Skopje 2014 ″. Or: How a country is building up its future. In: ostBLOG. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 (German).
  5. ↑ Goran Janev: Cultures of History Forum: Skopje 2014: Instrumentalizing Heritage for Unexpected Results. Retrieved April 3, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Felix Schilk: Monuments that nobody needs. In: Jungle World. June 28, 2018, accessed on August 1, 2020 (German).