Socialist Skopje: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

Skopje is one of the world’s most Brutalist cities. On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll find out how the city was rebuilt after a devastating 1963 earthquake that leveled 80 percent of the city, with reconstruction led by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. You’ll get a sense of the bold architectural legacy of socialist Yugoslavia, and hear how international solidarity transformed North Macedonia’s capital into a showcase of modernist design. The tour starts at the Old Railway Station, whose clock stopped at exactly the time the earthquake struck. As you walk, you’ll encounter striking examples of Brutalist and modernist architecture, from the telecommunications center to cultural institutions that blend folk elements with cutting-edge design. You’ll also see how the controversial Skopje 2014 redevelopment project transformed the city with faux neoclassical facades.