Macedonia Erects Tose Proeski Statue

Late Macedonian pop singer Tose Proeski has found himself in the company of Alexander the Great after his statue was erected in Skopje.

The sculpture was placed at a new bridge | Photo by: Sinisa Jakov Marusic

A sculpture of late Macedonian singer Tose Proeski was erected at the Art Bridge on river Vardar in Skopje on Thursday.

The sculpture is part of 29 to be placed at the new bridge, 14 each on both sides and one in the centre.

The central sculpture is dedicated to the Miladinov brothers, whereas the ones at the sides will represent renowned authors, artists, composers, actors etc.

Proeski, who was 26 when he died, was killed when his car collided with a truck in Croatia. His death in October 2007 left Macedonia in a state of near paralysis and shock.

During his short career Proeski recorded five albums and broke all of Macedonia’s popularity records.

According to a recent poll, 81 per cent of the respondents say the Macedonian government should stop splashing out on new monuments as part of its grand revamp of the capital known as Skopje 2014.

Erected mostly in the central area, some of the most notable ones include two nearly 30-metre-high statues set in fountains of Alexander the Great and his father Philip, a 30-metre-high triumphal arch, a massive colonnade with lions and another colonnade with an obelisk in the middle.

The project also envisages the construction of some 20 other buildings, including, museums, theatres, concert halls, hotels and administrative offices whose construction in most cases is either finished or is well under way.