The Skopje2014 urban reconstruction project is the biggest infrastructure investment in the entire Macedonian history. Freedom Square opposed the project and denounced the ultimate goal of urban reconstruction, officially announced by the Macedonian government in 2010, was allegedly to raise the profile of the Macedonian capital. In reality, this proved to be a costly endeavor financed by public money greatly surpassing the initial cost estimates, planned and built entirely without public participation and by surpassing and breaking the law. Numerous new buildings, monuments and fountains were constructed, and original facades refurbished in an architectural style entirely foreign to the domestic context. The historically inaccurate and kitsch new look of the city convey a clear ideological message in line with the ruling VMRO-DPMNE’s nationalist vision.
