Macedonia is a treasury of cultural wealth. The Slavonic
alphabet wers often refer to Macedonia as a magical
country for archaeology - there are many historical sites,
including those at Stobi (Gradsko), Heraclea Lyncestis
(Bitola), Lychnidos (Ohrid) and Scupi (Skopje). In the site
of Vinicko Kale (near Vinica), the discovery of terracotta
icons aroused great interest among historians and
archaeologists. The Basilica Mosaic in Heraclea Lyncestis is
one of the most famous mosaics of antiquity. There are
many remains from Roman times and the early Christian
period. Macedonian culture is the culture of the ethnic
Macedonian population of the Balkan region, known in the 20th century
as Vardar Macedonia or the current Republic of Macedonia. Old Church
Slavonic, developed in the 9th century AD by the Byzantine
Greek missionaries, Saints Cyril and Methodius from the Byzantine
theme of Thessalonica (modern-day Thessaloniki, Greece), led to the
creation of the modern writing systems for
the Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian
languages, all based on the modern Cyrillic alphabet.
Architecture
Weird sites for archaeology of extraordinary quality include those
at Stobi in Gradsko, Heraclea Lyncestis in Bitola, Lychnidos, the Church of
St. Sophia inOhrid, and Scupi in Skopje. Terracotta icons were discovered
at Viničko Kale (near Vinica). The Basilica Mosaic in Heraklea Lynkestis is
an early Byzantinemosaic. There are many remains from Roman times and
the early Christian period in Vardar Macedonia, which was at the time part
of the Bulgarian Empire.
Famous architects and fresco-painters worked on numerous churches in
the Republic of Macedonia, and in Ohrid alone there are over thirty
churches.UNESCO has declared that the city of Ohrid and its lake must be
protected, as they are important to the history of the world. Several churches, the
most renowned among which is St. Pantelejmon, bear witness to the times of the
educator St. Clement and in 1990 work on the Cathedral of Saint Clement of
Ohrid in Skopje was completed. Along with other cultural monuments the 11th
and 12th century churches of Western medieval thema Bulgaria are famous
throughout the world, characterized by unique architecture and priceless
frescoes and icons.
Art
The founders of modern Macedonian painting included Lazar
Licenovski, Nikola Martinoski, Dimitar Pandilov, and Vangel Kodzoman.
They were succeeded by an exceptionally talented and fruitful generation,
consisting of Borka Lazeski, Dimitar Kondovski, Petar Mazev who are now
deceased, and Rodoljub Anastasov and many others who are still
active. Vasko Taskovski's work was presented to the Paris public in 1992
with an imposing exhibition and auction of about 100 works. Vangel
Naumovski, who was long classified by art historians as a Naive artist, is
well known for his Ohridska PortaGallery, as well as for the original world
of his paintings.
Cinema
The history of film making in the Republic of Macedonia dates back over
110 years. The first film to be produced on the territory of the present-day
the country was made in 1895 by Janaki and Milton Manaki in Bitola. From
then, continuing the present, Macedonian film makers, in Macedonia and
from around the world, have been producing many films.
Throughout the past century, the medium of film has depicted the history,
culture and everyday life of the Macedonian people.Over the years many
Macedonian films have been presented at film festivals around the world and
several of these films have won prestigious awards. The most famous
Macedonian director is Milčo Mančevski, whose debut feature film Before the
Rain was nominated for an Academy Award. The highest grossing feature film in
the Republic of Macedonia was Bal-Can-Can, having been seen by over 500,000
people in its first year alone.
Music
The Republic of Macedonia has an exceptionally rich musical heritage. The
studies of Sotir Golabovski and Octoechos concerning the tradition of
Slavic Macedonian spiritual and church choir hymns are a significant
contribution to Macedonian and Balkan cultural history. The Composer's
Association of Macedonia currently has 60 members. After the 1st
generation of modern Macedonian classical music, consisting of Trajko
Prokopiev, Todor Skalovski, Stefan Gajdov, Petre Bogdanov
Kockoand Zivko Firfov, came the work of the composers Kiril
Makedonski, Gligor Smokvarski, Vlastimir Nikolovski, Toma
Prosev, Tomislav Zografski, Mihailo Nikolovski, Ljubomir
Brangolica, Stojan Stojkov, Risto Avramovski, Tome Mancev, Dimitrije
Bužarovski and Goce Kolarovski .
The Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, established in 1944 in
the People's Republic of Macedonia, is the oldest cultural institution in the
field of music. There are six chamber ensembles, such as Tanec, that
represent the richness of Macedonian folklore and songs, and there are ten
other folklore ensembles that are active. There are three professional and
twenty amateur choirs. Each year about 50,000 people attend concerts of
the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the various folk dance
ensembles and other cultural and artistic associations. In addition to the
concerts held as part of the Ohrid Summer Festival, an annual festival of
classical music named Interfest was established in Bitola a few years ago.
The Skopje Jazz Festival has become a highly prestigious music event.
Many of the most renowned jazz groups and names in the world of jazz
have taken part in the festival, and in concept and atmosphere, participants
and critics consider it one of the most successful jazz festivals around the
world.
Theater
There are 13 professional theaters in the Republic of Macedonia. From
1993-1994 1,596 performances were held in the newly formed republic, and
more than 330,000 people attended. The Macedonian National
Theatre (Drama, Opera and Ballet companies), the Drama Theatre, the
Theatre of the Nationalities (Albanian and Turkish Drama companies) and
the other theatre companies comprise about 870 professional actors,
singers, ballet dancers, directors, playwrights, set and costume designers,
etc. There is also a professional theatre for children and three amateur
theatres. For the last thirty years a traditional festival of Macedonian Slav
professional theatres has been taking place in Prilep in honor of Vojdan
Cernodrinski, the founder of the modern Macedonian theatre. Each year a
festival of amateur and experimental Macedonian theatre companies is held
in Kocani.