Location: Skopje Map
Constructed: 6th century AD
Kale Fortress or Skopje Fortress is a medieval citadel situated in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The first human settlement dates back to the Neolithic times 6000 years ago. Roman Empire conquered these lands and established their town of Skupi. However it was destroyed in the earthquake in 518. Emperor Justinian did not wait too long and ordered construction of another military fortifications. Most of the castle that you see today was constructed in the 10th and 11th centuries. Skopje Fortress fell to the invading armies of the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century. They constructed a mosque on the citadel hill as an imposing reminder of their power. Today Kale Fortress underwent a massive reconstruction as well as archeological digs that reveals earlier layers of the castle.
As the highest point in the city, the fortress has always been appreciated by the locals. Neighborhoods existed there before the walls were built. The earliest known inhabitants of the site lived in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, 4,000 BC. The fortress we see today was first built in Byzantine times (6th century), with 121-meter-long stone walls. According to archaeologists, the stone blocks from which the fortress was built were taken from the destroyed town of Skupi below.
History
The oldest settlement on the territory of the
fortress dates back to the 4th millennium BC. e .. Since that time
(with small interruptions) the territory of the modern fortress was
inhabited. In ancient times, the Calais hill was not inhabited, but
a sacrificial pit and a coin of Alexander the Great were discovered
on its territory. There are assumptions about the beginning of the
construction of large fortifications in Kale during the reign of
Justinian, but it is only known for certain that Kale turns into the
center of Skopje at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries during the
reign of the Bulgarian king Samuel. Under him, the city was
surrounded by walls built with advanced technology. At the end of
the 11th century, the city was held by the Normans for several
years, in confirmation of which a specific Viking bow was discovered
at the excavations of Calais. Under the rule of Byzantium, Kale
became the center of crafts of Balkan importance.
At the end
of the XIII century, the city came under the control of Serbia and
became one of its centers, and in 1346 the Serbian king Stefan Dusan
was crowned king of the Serbs and Greeks, which made Kale a
strategically important point. During this period, there were four
churches on the territory of Calais, and the area of the hill was
densely built up. During the Serbian rule, the fortifications of
Kale were being completed. The Jewish quarter was located at the
foot of the fortress near the Vardar River.
After the capture
of Skopje by the Turks in 1391, the fortress was used as a barracks.
While Skopje was a border fortress, the fortifications were
strengthened, the southern gate was rebuilt and additional towers
were added.
A report of the Austrian general Enea Silvio
Piccolomini, who took Skopje in 1689, has survived, in which the
fortress is described as having 12 half-abandoned towers and
generally dilapidated and weakly defended. In 1700, the Ottoman
authorities began to erect a new wall with towers and related
infrastructure, and the fortress again becomes an important military
site.
In 1917-1918, the Austro-Hungarian headquarters was
located in Calais, later the headquarters, barracks and warehouses
of the Royal Yugoslav army were built here.
The devastating
earthquake of 1963 seriously damaged the fortresses, after which
centralized work began to restore the fortress.
In February
2011, a group of Albanians in North Macedonia, who opposed the
construction of a museum in the form of a church on the territory of
the fortress, destroyed its construction, which led to inter-ethnic
clashes.
Protection and recovery
Due to the strategic location of the site, the fortress was built,
demolished and partitioned many times by various invaders. After the
Skopje earthquake in 1963, the circular and square towers of the
fortress were protected and restored.
The fortress today
Kale is one of the most popular places to visit in Skopje. The
fortress offers a fantastic view of the city as well as the
opportunity to reach the Old Skopje Bazaar within minutes. Concerts
and theater performances are held here in summer.
Archaeological excavations
Archaeological excavations at Skopje Fortress began on 14 May 2007.
The sheer volume of research (around 300 people engaged) and the
heavily exposed location of the center of Skopje itself are of great
interest to the public, tourists and the media.