The winning concept

If all goes according to plan, construction of the Baroque facade should start in two months’ time, Vasil Donevski, head of the Government Procurement Bureau, said.

Donevski says they await only a building permit from the Transport Ministry before his bureau can start choosing a construction firm to do the work.

He said it was too early to know the exact cost of the project, or predict when it will be completed.

After transforming much of the capital in styles inspired by Classic Antiquity, Macedonia’s government in January asked the population to choose a new facade for its HQ from five selected proposals.

In a controversial procedure, the government in February announced that people had opted for a Baroque facade, which involves a radical change to the look of the landmark glass and metal-covered building.

Many denounced plans to change the shell of the building as unacceptable, including the Association of Architects of Macedonia and the architect of the building, Petar Mulickovski.

However, the government has carried on with its idea.

The modernist structure, built in the 1970s, was loosely inspired by traditional Macedonian architecture. It arose as Skopje recovered from a devastating earthquake that struck in 1963.

While the government building is to take more monumental appearance, the Antique marble statues, dating from the 4th century and now displayed at its main entrance, will be removed.

The statues will be placed in the new Archeological Museum that is to open by the end of the year in central Skopje, the head of the Cultural Heritage Protection Directorate, Pasko Kuzman, told the media.

As part of the grand revamp, several buildings and monuments are already in place or are nearly finished. The construction of a new national theatre, museums, bridges, a foreign ministry and a concert hall are all at an advanced stage.

Dozens of large statues have now been erected in the heart of the city, including one of Alexander the Great, which is over 20 metres high and another of his father, Philip, which is equal in height, as well as a triumphal arch.

Critics of the project object to both its artistic style and the high estimated price tag, unofficially standing at €500 million thus far.