Every time I went to Skopje as a child, I was both puzzled and amazed by the large, unusual buildings with their odd, pointy shapes. I often couldn’t tell where these structures began or ended. Sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, I’d come across a strange "ice cream" (ice cream) shaped structure with a door at the stick (base), and I would always wonder what was inside that door.
In recent years, I got a coloring book from the supermarket full of Skopje buildings. I enjoyed adding color to it, and the results looked great. This brings me to a question: are those buildings neglected today? I remember visiting the post office near the train station, and it looked abandoned, depressing, and, to be honest, somewhat disgusting.
It’s a shame because if we added some quality graffiti to some of them and painted the others in more fitting colors, they could truly become the jewels of Skopje.
The brutalist architecture of Skopje is highly valued by architecture lovers and tourists alike.
I know we don’t have big budgets to build skyscrapers, and frankly, I don’t want them, but simply painting and renovating these existing buildings could really bring something special to Skopje. It’s far less costly than constructing new buildings. How about we start by appreciating what’s already here first?
In the near future, these investments would pay for themselves, would raise the overall quality of the city as well.
What do you think about this topic? I’d love to hear from someone who’s an architect or a local but everyone is welcome to give their thoughts.
Thank you
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1eucqxi
Posted by blitzdisease
4 Comments
Very nice pictures did you take them yourself?
>It’s a shame because if we added some quality graffiti to some of them and painted the others in more fitting colors, they could truly become the jewels of Skopje.
Дупи си ја баграва, хахххаахааа.
They’d lose their charm. Those buildings stand as a monument of what once was. Do not forget your past, do not try to recast it in a beautiful shadow (paint). It’s raw it’s brutal, just like our history.
Skopje is very old and confused city. I think you can feel it by the general attitude of the city.
Yeah I know deep. But having been to a lot of supposedly beautiful cities. They all lack the raw character Skopje has, it doesn’t try to hide itself from us. Any effort to do so will ultimately fail (think of Skopje 2014). It’s ours and we have to love it, there is no other way.
I love the pictures and I really like the brutal style. I agree that the buildings should be better maintained, because as of now they look very dirty and unkept. They are definetely neglected both on the outside and inside, and I’m not sure if it’s on purpose to make them look even more brutal or just straight up disinterest to maintaint them. However I was confused by your graffiti suggestion, but I looked come pictures up and it doesn’t look bad I don’t think it would fit just anywhere, but I imagine it would make the train station, for example, more lively haha.
You mention a coloring book with Skopje buildings, that sounds super fun. Do you remember when and where you got it from?