'Skopje 2014' Largely Survives Budget Cut

The tall bronze busts of the founders of the first Slavic alphabet, Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Orthodox medieval scholars Saints Naum and Clement were erected on Saturday near Skopje’s landmark Stone Bridge.

Five of the planned statues are now in place.

Meanwhile the finance minister said that although the state faces decreased revenues as the economy struggles to recover, the forthcoming budget cut will not significantly affect the downtown project.

Only “several million euros” will be cut from “Skopje 2014” Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski said while announcing that the government plans to reduce this year’s spending in the state budget by a total of some €76 million.

He noted that this will slow down some construction works but will not stop the project entirely.

“The country should build railroads, highways and energy production facilities. The construction of domes at the parliament building, the ongoing erection of monuments and the buildings for the public administration can wait for better times,” Professor Risto Kartalov told local daily Vreme in reaction to the budget cut announcement.

Presented in February this year as an attempt to bring back the old glitter to a city full of its fair share of gray architecture from the communist era, the revamp project includes plans for 17 tall statues and about 15 buildings that depict classical architecture styles.

The entire project has been kept largely under wraps since it began, which stirred controversy right from the start.

Many objected to its high cost, estimated by some at over €200 million, and the authorities’ reluctance to disclose precise figures. Others were offended by the lack of public debate while some disputed its architectural value.

Meanwhile the project continues to advance, as the state announced an  architectural competition for yet another planned building in the city centre. The new building, also with the requirements to maintain a classical outlook, is to house the Dramatic Arts Faculty along with as many as twelve other state institutions.