This is probably the best maintained spomenik I saw. It is called both "Ilinden Memorial" and the "Makedonium".
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| Most Spomeniks had these kind of "seating" for commemorations. |
Unlike most I saw, this one commemorates the uprising a the Ottomans in 1903, and the short independence they had afterward. The guide in Skopje said this period was the First Republic of Macedonia, even thought it was short lived. I will copy from the entry:
Ilinden Uprising
The primary historical event this monument commemorates is the Ilinden Uprising, which was an uprising of Macedonian IMARO rebels initiated against Ottoman rule on August 2nd, 1903. During this time, in the region of present-day Kruševo, resistance fighters proclaimed this newly liberated land to be the land of the Kruševo Republic, under the leadership of then school-teacher turned war-hero Nikola Karev. This separatist territory lasted less than two weeks before it was suppressed by 176,000 Turk soldiers and put back under Ottoman control, with nearly 9000 people being executed at the hands of the Turks in retaliation.
It was well maintained and actually had an entrance fee - 40 dinars or about 35 US cents. Inside were mosaics in the roof and reliefs framing the clear windows.
Very cool.
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| Witht he woman for scale, you can see the size of the windows, the stained glass and, if you look next to the windows, the reliefs. |
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| The skylight |
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| This relief commemorates the uprising versus the Ottomans. |
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| This relief shows the people overcoming the ottomans. If you look on the right side you can make out a partisan with a gun. |
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