Skopje Opera and Ballet

The opera house in Skopje was planned as a deconstruct building with respect to the rebuilding of the whole city after the earthquake in 1963. The opera itself was built in 1979 by the Biro 77 collective. It was part of a bigger plan for a modern environment together with the music academy. Only a small part of all buildings was released in the end.

The opera and music academy are not in a very good state. During my visit in September 2016 there was some reconstruction work on the opera itself going on. Nevertheless the whole complex is now surrounded by the new historic monuments that are built by the current government of Macedonia. You may spot some new antique street lamps in front of the building. There are some lifts for the parking too that are built in the new historic style. That might be a signal that the opera is not to be destroyed (yet) but it could also be interpreted as a hint that the government aims to rebuild the opera soon in a new antique style.

More information about Skopje and it’s Opera house: