Skopje Fortress description and photos - Macedonia: Skopje (Topic)

Skopje Fortress description and photos - Macedonia: Skopje. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Skopje Fortress.

Photo and description

The Skopje Fortress rises on a rocky hill dominating the northern part of the city of Skopje. In the tourist literature, you can find its second name - Skopsky Kale. The word “kale” is of Turkish origin and in translation means “stronghold.”

The first fortifications on the site of the present fortress appeared in the 6th century, in Byzantine times. However, archaeologists claim that these places were inhabited much earlier. In the 10th-11th centuries Skopskoe Kale turned into a well-fortified fortress. For the only time in the entire history of the citadel, it was practically razed to the ground by the participants in the uprising of Peter Delyan. After the occupation of Skopje by the Ottomans in 1391, the fortress was restored. In 1660, the Turkish traveler Evlia elebi, who visited Skopje, noted the local fortress as one of the most powerful strongholds in the Balkans. After the Austro-Turkish War in 1700, the castle over Skopje was expanded. During the First World War, the fortress again regularly performed its functions: it housed the Austro-Hungarian headquarters. In the interwar period, there were military warehouses and the headquarters of one of the army units.

Since 1951, the fortress has not been a military facility and has been turned into a recreation area. There is a picturesque park on the territory of the fortress, where various cultural events are often held: concerts, theatrical performances, etc. The buildings of the fortress are in a depressing state after the 1963 earthquake. The city authorities plan to restore them over time and turn them into a museum. In the meantime, archaeologists who have already made many discoveries are working in the fortress. So,

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Topic: Skopje Fortress description and photos - Macedonia: Skopje.