The Skopje Project

The Skopje Project explores the reconstruction of Skopje after the devastat- ing earthquake of 26 July 1963 as far more than a response to catastrophe. Rebuilt with aid from nearly ninety countries and under the auspices of the United Nations, Skopje became a unique global experiment: a city imagined as a symbol of international solidarity, a testing ground for architectural ideas, and a model for peaceful collaboration in a divided Cold War world. Positioned between East and West through Yugoslavia’s non-aligned politics, Skopje offered an extraordinary opportunity to rethink the relationship between architecture, planning, society, and power. This book traces how the city was shaped by competing visions of modernity, from the humanist ambitions of postwar urbanism to the grand proposals of figures such as Ernest Weissmann, Constantinos Doxiadis, Jaap Bakema, and Kenzo Tange. At its centre lies the question of how a “world city” could be planned through cooperation, expertise, and political negotiation–and why such a vision remained only partially realised. Drawing on original research and archival material, The Skopje Project reveals the reconstruction of Skopje as a story of idealism and compromise, ambi- tion and limitation. It is both a study of architectural diplomacy and a critical reflection on the promises, contradictions, and enduring legacy of one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable urban experiments.