Civic Initiative

Let's protect the Skopje Fortress

After the Government announced that they had sold part of the Skopje Fortress (more precisely, the hill Gradiste) to the USA for the construction of a new residential embassy, a civic initiative was raised for preserving this location as part of the Macedonian cultural and historic heritage. Five civic and professional associations joined by many citizens, have raised an initiative for disputing this resolution.

The Macedonian National Committee of IKONOMOS, the Macedonian Architects Association, URBIS and the Forum for Revitalisation of the Old Skopje Bazaar, have established a coordinative body that will represent the citizens' interests. They will also be joined and supported by the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The Coordinative Body has adopted conclusions and recommendations and directed them to the Macedonian authorities, several domestic and foreign institutions and to the United States Embassy in our country. As a reaction to this initiative, the US Embassy decided to finance archaeological researches in this area, announcing that they will give up the location if the existence of important discoveries is confirmed.