Admiring Skopje’s Ottoman bridge
I love Ottoman architecture in general, but I especially enjoy admiring Ottoman bridges.
Maybe I’m even somewhat of an Ottoman Bridge groupie.
I’ve already written about the Ottoman bridge, Stari most, in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina and even wrote a short story where it plays a small role. I’ve written about the Ottoman Goat Bridge and the Princip Bridge, the latter was where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot, both in Sarajevo.
So it’s not surprising that when I found myself in Skopje, Macedonia, that I stayed in a hotel with a view out over the city’s Ottoman Kamen most, Stone Bridge.
The Stone Bridge was built in 1451-1469 over the ruins of an earlier Ancient Roman bridge. It was damaged and rebuilt many times over the centuries that followed.
During World War II, explosives were placed on the bridge to destroy it, but luckily its destruction was avoided.
The Stone Bridge spans the Vardar River. It is 214 meters (702 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide.
I loved looking out over this pretty Ottoman bridge, and crossing over it in daytime and at night.
For other tips on Skopje, see early posts about visiting the Kale fortress and the Čaršija district.
I think you seriously are an Ottoman bridge groupie! But I am loving the photos and the hotel must have been something..
Haha. Well the groupie thing might just be another flimsy excuse to travel. But it leaves me lots more other beautiful places to see… : )
[…] I was in Skopje, the capital of the Former Yugolslav Republic of Macedonia last spring. I’ve already written about many things to see there, including the Kale fortress, the historic and picturesque neighborhood of Čaršija and the impressive Ottoman Bridge. […]