Bronze Statues in Capital Surprise Macedonians

The five metre tall bronze statues of two Macedonian revolutionaries from the Ottoman era, Goce Delcev and Dame Gruev, mounted on horses, were set on both sides of the Stone Bridge, one of Skopje’s most well-known landmarks.

Skopjans passing by on Sunday morning were surprised by the sudden appearance of the two statues, as they were erected without announcement before daybreak.

Many passers-by refused to comment for the media as they were still deciding how they felt about the new monuments, local daily Utrinski Vesnik reported on Monday.

At least 15 other sculptures depicting heroes from Macedonian history are expected to arrive soon in the main square and its surroundings.

By far most controversial is the announced 22 metre tall fountain with a statue of the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, whose origin is currently a matter of harsh debate between Skopje and Athens. The bronze statue is set to arrive from Italy next year, while construction on the fountain has already begun.

The arrival of the statues is part of the government funded project for overhauling the Skopje downtown area. Some ten new buildings as well as renovations of existing buildings are envisaged, and much of the work is already underway, with the project set to be completed by 2014.

However, the plan, which promotes classical architectural styles, was frowned upon by Macedonia’s Association of Architects as being poorly drafted and against the current setting of the city.

Macedonia’s opposition, as well as various NGOs, have objected to what they called the non-transparent process of selecting the architects for the planned buildings and monuments and raised concern that the project will be too costly for the state.

The government has not released exact projections for the project's cost, but various estimates say it may cost close to €200 million.

Increased police presence near the new statues was evident today. Among the first to come to the site on Sunday were Culture Minister Elizabeta Kancevska Mileska and Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki.