As the capital of the modern Republic of Macedonia, Skopje is located about 100 K east of the Adriatic Sea which separates it from Italy, and just south of Bosnia and Romania. Though it has taken attributes from all of the places surrounding it during its long history, it is a totally unique and modern city today. With almost 700,000 people, it houses about 25% of the population of the small country. The people are diverse with many Turks, Albanians, Serbs, Roma, and Bosnians living there.

Skopje by night:

The history of the city has made both the people and the foundation of the city, its churches, monasteries and the aqueducts built by the Romans, and also the many mosques and other buildings built by the Ottoman Empire. Lovers of history and culture will find much to keep them busy and happy during a visit to Skopje.

Kale Fortress

The fortress was built on the highest hill in the valley where Skopje is located, and gives great views of the entire city. Built by the Byzantines after the great earthquake of 518 as Emperor Justinian wanted to help rebuild the city where he was born. The oldest sections are included within the fortifications which are standing today; they originated from the 10^th century when the square tower was built to the 13^th century when the round tower was completed. The entire fortress was reinforced during Turkish rule, and there were as many as 70 towers. Today, there are only three remaining. The fortress burned in 1689 and was severely damaged, and then was damaged still further during the 1963 earthquake.

Stone Bridge

Byzantine Emperor Justinian also built the Stone Bridge, and since that time it has become synonymous with the city. Each ruler has left a mark on the bridge since the 6^th century when it was completed. There was a large reconstruction done in the 15^th century by Sultan Mehmed II, which was when the guard tower and stone fence were completed. During the most recent restoration, the guard tower fell, and is awaiting repair and restoration now. The Stone Bridge is the main route between the square and the old bazaar, and is built of 6^th century stone blocks, which are huge. The bridge is 214m long and has 13 arches along its span.

Macedonia Square

A couple of interesting sights exist around Macedonia Square. Unfortunately, most of the neoclassical buildings were destroyed in the 1963 earthquake, with the exception of a small section of house in the center. Close to the main square, turn to look toward the shopping mall and find a marker. This is where Mother Theresa’s home stood, and she lived there until the age of 18 when she left to minister first in Ireland and then in India.

Bedesten

This is the area within the old bazaar where the precious goods were sold. It had gates to close in the evening to ward off thieves, and housed spices, jewelry, perfumes, and silks, which were the prized objects of the day. The old Bedesten burned in the fire of 1689, so sometime in the 17^th century the present day bedesten was built for trade. It is smaller, but has lots of atmosphere, with five short streets, shops, and four gates that can be opened.

Double Haman

In the middle of the 15^th century, public baths were all the rage. This one has both a male and female bath, and is unique because the heating room runs down the middle, with an entrance on either side. It is used today as a gallery for temporary art exhibits.

Book cheap international flights and visit Skopje for its fantastic culture and history.

Although Macedonia has a sufficiently high potential to be an attractive tourist destination, this potential has not yet been sufficiently used as a whole.
Republic of Macedonia is situated in southeastern Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, bordering with the Republic of Albania, Serbia, Republic of Kosovo, Bulgaria and Greece.

Macedonia is a country that has the potential and striving for development of alternative tourism, mountain tourism, rural, urban, lake tourism and so on. The road infrastructure is sufficiently developed, so quickly and easily you can travel from one city to another or from one to the other end of the country.

Republic of Macedonia has a lot to offer tourists who will decide to visit.
If you like rural tourism you can visit the many villages that are few centuries old and you will be kindly welcomed by locals.
Usually around the villages you have the opportunity to visit the many monasteries that are decorated with old and preserved frescoes and icons.

The construction of these monasteries is unique and they themselves are old even after ten centuries and are some of the reasons that are seen with great admiration and are protected as historical and cultural heritage of Macedonia.

Republic of Macedonia may also offer you mountain tourism, where you can stay at any time of the year.
In summer you can escape the hot sun and enjoy the fresh mountain air and relaxed atmosphere, or if you are a fan of winter sports and hot tea besides the fireplace, we recommend you visit one of the beautiful ski centers in Macedonia.

Macedonia has a lot to offer in city tourism as well.
Skopje is the capital of Macedonia, which is full of contrasts in population, buildings and offer entertainment and social life. Abounds with historical and cultural facilities, shops, markets, coffee bars, discotheques, shopping malls, and in the immediate vicinity is the ancient city Stobi and the lake Matka.

Bitola is a unique city which has preserved its appearance of its biggest growth. This city is also known as a ”city of Consuls” and here you can enjoy the old atmosphere that is due to old buildings and luxurious facades of the houses around Bitola.

If you visit Macedonia we recommend you to visit Ohrid. This city is known as Erusalim on the Balkans as it has one church for every day of the year. That’s why this city is protected by UNESCO.

Macedonia is a relatively safe country in which there is no war and violence so that you can enjoy your stay here and relax without worrying for your safety.
If you decide to visit Macedonia, you will be pleasantly surprised by its beauty, hospitality, the friendly mood of the locals, the wonderful wine and Macedonian cooking and delicious specialties that you will have the opportunity to taste in Macedonia.

Enjoy some free casual sex with Macedonian people. Girls and guys are open-minded and enjoy having fun with foreign people. They gladly take a chance to speak to someone not from Macedonia. Casual sex personals don’t work for Macedonian people (strange phenomenon), but you will have no trouble in finding a casual sex partner. Enjoy the stay and come back sometimes…

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More Skopje and Macedonia:
Skopje Hotels Walking Distances
Macedonia Currency
Macedonian Wine Production
Football Federation of Macedonia
Paragliding in Macedonia
Skopje History, Landmarks, Photo Gallery
Tourism in Macedonia, famous landmarks and places

Exhibitions, concerts, trade developments, fairs, student exchanges, humanitarian aid, culture, education, tourism, sport – vital parts the beautiful modern city- Skopje-the academic center of Macedonia.

This town is the heart of the Macedonian metal-processing, chemical, textile, electrical and graphic industries. Skopje is the capital of Macedonian culture, education, science and economy.

As a result of its tumultuous history, many nations live here for centuries. The official language is Macedonian. It is situated at an altitude of 254 m above sea level. Today, Skopje is a modern city but, at the same time an ancient with deep roots in the past and a rich history.

Coming here you can find monuments from the past that are found in and around Skopje including: the church of St. Spas, St. Panteleimon, the monument of Goce Delcev, the monastery of Matka. Actually, it harbours the seats of all states institutions, the Archbishop of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and other major religious communities.

Convincingly it is the major industrial, banking and trading center.

The old name of this town is Scupi which in the past became the target of all attacks of barbaric tribes just at the time when Scupi was an architecturally developed urban settlement. Namely, passing from hand to hand through the succeeding centuries and under the military-this city developed on the left bank of Vardar. In this new era of the development, Skopje itself saw the formation and organization of a new modern city but a nation had gone unrecognized by many neighboring countries.

Today, Skopje is a place where many notable artists create and are presented many prominent authors in the world of arts. But what is the most relevant for all of you- visitors and tourists is of course the night life here. Skopje is very much a 24 hour city, where you feel perfectly safe wherever in the city you go. In fact, you feel safer in Skopje than in many others foreign cities you have ever visited.

If I start writing mentioning the past, all monuments, bridges, hotels etc. it will never be enough pages to write the history of the Macedonian people and language. It was a place humiliated in the past but, respected in the present. A place where you can leave peacefully and feel safe out of reach, traffic jam and out of society.

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More Skopje and Macedonia:
Skopje Hotels Walking Distances
Macedonia Currency
Macedonian Wine Production
Football Federation of Macedonia
Paragliding in Macedonia
Skopje History, Landmarks, Photo Gallery
Tourism in Macedonia, famous landmarks and places

Paragliding is a dream coming true-the dream of free flying….using a basic equipment and the power of wind and thermals .It is a relatively new sport with the early beginnings in the 80’s ,being practiced by amateurs and professionals alike. The equipment it’s quite simple , a paraglider has a harness that holds the pilot and a wing. The wing is made of a special fabric, in 2 layers disposed to form a row of cells allowing air to inflate and maintain the shape of the wing.

The harness it is pretty comfortable offering support both as standing and sitting position .The harness is connected to the wing using carabins and a network of lines. There are about 30 lines in a paraglider ,made of very strong materials ,each line alone being able to sustain the weight of the pilot.

The control of the paraglider is made of 2 brakes, one in each hand of the pilot, connected to the ends of the wing, offering speed adjustment and steering as well as flaring on landing .Add-on to the brakes is the weight shifting-leaning on one side or the other to steer better. Also the pilot can use a speed bar, a foot control which attaches to the harness and it is used to increase speed.

Most of pilots use variometers (to show the rate of ascending or descending), radios (to keep in touch with each other or with the ground) and GPS (mostly used for competitions).

The take-off is done from a higher point, like a hill or a slope, using the force of the wind and a bit of skill to get airborne and to fly. Pilots are looking for thermals (columns of air lifting from the earth, due to uneven heating of the ground), to use them like an air elevator and gain altitude in order to glide longer and higher.

For the professional pilots there are competitions organized each year in different corners of the world., on 3 main categories : cross-country (for the greatest distance), accuracy (precision landing on a 3 cm centre out of a 10 m circle) and acro(acrobatic maneuvers and stunts) .

In Macedonia the sport is well represented, with an active presence in all 3 categories of competition, with many clubs involved in practicing the sport as well as offering classes to beginners and helping them obtaining the pilot license or offering an unforgettable experience in a tandem flight.

The best places to fly are Krushevo, Ohrid and around Skopje, making the sport easy and accessible to the public. Competitions are organized each year in Krushevo and Ohrid, with a large presence of pilots and public.

The sport it is gaining a lot of popularity for the young people and for the ones who like to try something different and a feeling of freedom.

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More Skopje and Macedonia:
Skopje Hotels Walking Distances
Macedonia Currency
Macedonian Wine Production
Football Federation of Macedonia
Paragliding in Macedonia
Skopje History, Landmarks, Photo Gallery
Tourism in Macedonia, famous landmarks and places