Archaeological Museum of Macedonia — Attraction in Municipality of Centar

Museum of Macedonia (Macedonian: Музеј на Македонија, Muzej na Makedonija) is a national institution in the Republic of Macedonia and one of the oldest museums in the country. The Museum of Macedonia was created by joining three museum in one. The three museum that were unified were the archaeological, historical and ethnological museum, of which the archaeological museum was the oldest one; it was opened in 1924 and that date is considered as an establishing date of the national museum.

The museum is located in the Old Bazaar in Skopje, near the Skopje Fortress. Within the museum is the Kuršumli An, a historical monument that was built in the 16th century.

The institution is of complex character, which means it gathers, keeps, conserves and presents the national Macedonian historical and cultural heritage. The Archaeological Museum takes the tourist on a journey through the millennia, from the Neolithic Age, the Bronze and the Iron Ages, the Classical and the Hellenic Periods, all the way through to the Roman, Slavic, Byzantine and Turkish Periods.

The Historical Museum gives a chronological overview of Macedonian history throughout the centuries up to the National War of Liberation. The Ethnographic Museum offers thematically displayed set of items. Finally, the Natural History Museum showcases many examples of the indigenous and sometimes odd flora and fauna found throughout Macedonia.

Apart from their permanent exhibitions, Macedonia’s museums organize temporary exhibitions as well as other appealing events with featuring gift shops where tourists can purchase certified replicas of Macedonian icons, booklets and other souvenirs. In addition to the major museums established in Skopje, smaller museums and archives with their own unique collections can also be found in many beautiful...

I was incredibly disappointed by this museum. They actually have really cool artifacts, but seem to have dropped the ball on everything except acquisition. We found MULTIPLE things MISLABELED! (One pictured, Spur Asterisks clearly labeled as Sword Handle, and vice versa) which was very shocking. There were also dozens of artifacts lacking labels entirely! Many displayed without numbers, and many numbers listed but not displayed. Many objects removed for conservation.

The biggest problem was a lack of information - it was just a list of things and what period they were from, no further information on what anything was used for or by whom. There were a 3 signs that looked like they maybe gave a bit more context, but where only in Cyrillic Macedonian (and brail, which is cool!). There was a large display of what looked like a mosaic floor/marble columns, but not a single sign or plaque with information! It also looked like there was some sort of projection display set up on either end of the room, but neither were running. Just an super obnoxious loud beeping sound throughout 🤣

We were only allowed to see the one display as the stairs to the upstairs were roped off, and we were yelled at when we tried to see the exhibit downstairs (I glimpsed some mannequins in traditional clothing and what looked like a wagon wheel set up as a display, but two guys who had just been sitting on their phone around the corner run up and yelled at us when we went to walk down the stairs.

An entirely bizarre "Archeological Museum" experience that I cannot recommend. Really such a shame since there is such a fascinating area with incredible history, a real missed...

Terribly managed terrible museum, so unfitting for a country as rich in history as Macedonia… So much to say, let us go one by one.

They never have cash, and God knows why. Plenty were told off because they have no change to give. Even as the closing time came close. This is absurd.

Most museums if not all in the country and in Skopje have student prices. Supposedly this one does not. I do not buy it one bit.

You are forced to buy a dumb extra ticket to see a tiny room full of trinket, the temporary exhibition. I was not told of this. I was just given a 200 MKD ticket for it and a 150 MKD ticket for the actual permanent exhibition. This is not considered a “sale” in my book. You take money for stuff one does not want…

There were only two floors open, and they had in total four rooms. All were tiny, all had few exhibitions, there were no connections between items, and not much description. Almost all the best stuff were mere replicas as well.

As a historian and an avid traveller that has seen MUCH BETTER museums in tiny unknown rural cities with museums that were not funded by anything, all I can say is: AVOID...