Skopje Fortress to be renovated; two museums to open next year

Skopje's Fortress (Kale) is being restored and will gain new permanent exhibits, including two museums that are expected to open next year and will become part of Skopje’s programme for "Skopje – European Capital of Culture" in 2028.

Two museum buildings completed; interior work to follow

During an on-site inspection, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and a government team reviewed construction works at the fortress. The rehabilitation includes two adapted buildings — a Museum of Prehistory and a Museum of the Ottoman Period — whose structural works are nearly finished and which will enter service after interior fitting and museological setup.

According to project plans, both museums will display finds from archaeological research carried out at the fortress between 2007 and 2016. The collections will be presented following contemporary museum principles with emphasis on interactivity, narrative presentation and multimedia elements.

Prime Minister Mickoski said the government will support the institutions involved both financially and logistically and voiced high expectations for the restored fortress.

"I expect that when all this is finished we will have an exceptionally high-quality facility in Skopje that will represent one of the exceptionally rare and important tourist attractions in the city. We know that Kale has more possibilities and we as a Government will stand behind the institutions both financially and logistically so that Skopje Kale receives the appearance it deserves and to be part of 'Skopje – European Capital of Culture'," the prime minister said after the inspection.

He added that he expects citizens to be surprised by the material discovered at the site and planned for display. "I am speaking not only for Skopje citizens, but for the world," he said.

Vesela Cestoeva, director of the Administration for Protection of Cultural Heritage, noted that more than 5,000 objects were uncovered during major excavations at the fortress. She said the administration secured funding of 8 million denars for the two museum buildings, issued a tender for adaptation and repairs, and selected the contractor Net Invest from Tearce; construction works were completed in under a year.

Cestoeva also said a government decision to declare the Skopje Fortress a cultural heritage site "of great importance" is in its final stage; that designation will split responsibilities between the City of Skopje and the Archaeological Museum. The Archaeological Museum will manage the two museum spaces and arrange their interiors so they can be included in the European Capital of Culture programme.

Magdalena Manaskova, director of the Archaeological Museum of Macedonia, said the museum will continue the work where the administration left off and from Tuesday will begin interior preparations to open the museums. She added that by government decision the museum has already received the archaeological finds and is developing the exhibition concept.

"The conceptual author of both museums is the long-time researcher and leader of archaeological excavations at the Skopje Fortress, prof. dr. Dragi Mitrevski; the design author of the exhibition is prof. dr. Jovan Ivanovski. We also created the visual identity of the museums, whose conceptual author is prof. dr. Gordana Vrencovska," Manaskova said.

Photo: Vlada na Republika Severna Makedonija