Skopje: Museum of Macedonia

This is not the easiest museum to find in Skopje. In fact, those we asked about how to get to this museum (after failed attempts on our own) would direct us to the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (which we have already visited - and which is in a different location. see blog post about the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle)

We decided to walk back from the Museum of Contemporary Art, back down the hill towards the Old Bazaar.

As we approached the Kale Fortress and Bushi Spa - we could see the signpost for the Museum of Macedonia. Hooray!  We followed the sign, and went left.  And then we came to another sign that pointed right. We followed that sign for quite aways - and - long story short - we were walking farther and farther away from the museum. So we walked back to the second sign. And - we walked into a rather long and narrow parking lot - and - after going about a block or so - we came to the museum.

While it was not easy to find and it is off the beaten path - it was worth the effort to find it.

There were actually two buildings that make up the museum.  The first - no pictures were allowed.  The second, an ethnological museum, we were allowed to take pictures - so a some of those are below.

According to our Skopje Museum Tour guidebook, the Museum of Macedonia is one of the oldest museums in the country.  There is an Ethnology Department (below you will see pictures of some of the folk costumes, jewelry, pottery, crafts on display), a History Department (for us, the most powerful exhibit was a series of life-size figures of children, part of the forced migration during the Greek Civil War - hear a map that showed the various countries throughout Europe where these children ended up), and an Art History department (we saw beautiful 13th century frescoes, for example).

Here is the Museum of Macedonia facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/National-Museum-of-Macedonia-169639123102635/

on the approach to the entrance of the museum, we thought we could see an old hamam through the overgrown yard

There were So. Many. Costumes. We could have spent hours looking at the embellishments on each of these dresses. Truly extraordinary artwork

learning more about the fishing villages

we enjoyed looking at these models of Macedonian architecture

an idyllic spot in the heart of the Old Bazaar - we sat under a canopy of leafy branches (hooray for spring!) - and enjoyed the sound of the fountain - it was a lovely resting place after all of the walking we did (of course, there was still the walk home...)

ajvar!