Macedonia Square

Macedonia Square is the main public square of Skopje, redesigned as the centrepiece of the "Skopje 2014" urban project that spent an estimated 500 million euros transforming the city centre into an eclectic fantasy of neo-baroque fountains, bronze statues, and triumphal arches. The square is dominated by the enormous equestrian statue — officially nameless, actually Alexander the Great — and ringed by a fountain with water jets that are illuminated at night.

The effect is genuinely strange and worth seeing precisely because it is so strange. Critics, architects, and many Skopjans have called it kitsch and historically dishonest; defenders say it gave the city an identity and drew tourists. Both are correct. Whatever you think of the aesthetics, the square at night, with the fountain lit and the cafe tables full, is a lively and rather enjoyable place to sit.

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The 22-metre equestrian statue in the centre of the square was officially unveiled in 2011 as "Warrior on a Horse" to avoid diplomatic protests from Greece, which objects to any Macedonian claim to Alexander the Great's legacy. Everyone knows who the warrior is. The statue cost an estimated 10 million euros.

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