The with Greece disputed giant statue of Alexander the Great ( “Equestrian warrior”) at the “Macedonia” square in Skopje, capital of North Macedonia,
From BalkanInsight 23 nov. 2017, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic: Erected a few years ago as a symbol of national pride, talk of removing the giant statue of Alexander the Great from Skopje has stirred both political and aesthetic in June 2011, some of the people of Skopje and people from other towns, who had come there just for the occasion, wept for joy as they watched a giant crane place a bronze equestrian statue of Alexander the Great on a tall pedestal in Skopje’s main “Macedonia” square. The colossal 24-metre-high structure was widely seen as the culmination of the government-sponsored massive revamp of the capital, called “Skopje 2014”. Critics of the then right-wing VMRO DPMNE-led government seemed unable to convince much of the population of its downsides. They said it was too big to aesthetically fit the square and, after costing more than 8 million euro, was far too pricey for one of Europe’s poorest countries. As many then feared, Greece also condemned the statue as “provocative”, claiming Alexander as exclusively part of Hellenic heritage. Moreover, Greece used the issue to further justify blocking Macedonia’s bid to join NATO and EU, accusing its smaller neighbour of irredentism and of trying to “steal” its culture. But the strong VMRO DPMNE propaganda machinery had no trouble in muffling criticism at home. The statue would bring in revenue from tourists, it said, and would boost the country’s national identity.
Size: 5908px × 3939px
Location: Skopje, North Macedonia, Europe
Photo credit: © Bert de Ruiter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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