Stones of contention

摘要

In 2010 a computer-generated video of plans for the Macedonian capital was released to journalists. There were to be statues and monuments, new museums and civic buildings, a triumphal arch, even an eternal flame. After decades in hibernation Skopje's turbocharged planners seemed determined that the city should make up for lost time. While Nikola Gruev-ski, the prime minister, was in office they planned to erect as much public art as some European capitals have put up in three centuries. Many assumed it was some sort of joke. Three years later, the project is nearing completion and this corner of the Balkans is suffering the shock of the new.