Post Office and Telecommunications Center in Skopje, North Macedonia

The capital of North Macedonia is characterized by its pompous, classically styled buildings that line both sides of the Vardar River, further enhanced by numerous statues, some of them enormous. All of this has been built in recent years following independence from the former Yugoslavia.

But just behind these grand buildings lies the typical city of the Communist era, with its gray, functional structures. And if there is one style that stood out in the architecture of that time and in this part of the world, it is undoubtedly Brutalism.

A few meters from the river, we find a gem more appreciated by architects worldwide than by the tourists who visit the city. This is the Post and Telecommunications Building by the Macedonian architect Janko Konstantinov (1926-2010).

Konstantinov studied at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade and, after graduating, specialized in his field at the Royal Academy of Arts and Architecture in Copenhagen. He gained experience working on projects in the United States, Sweden, and Finland, where he collaborated with the legendary Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Following the devastating 1963 earthquake, Konstantinov moved to Skopje to participate in the city’s reconstruction led by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tage, working on various projects.

The Post and Telecommunications complex is considered his masterpiece. Built in several phases, the Post Office building, completed in 1974, is a prominent feature. Its open lotus shape symbolizes the city’s rebirth. Its flying buttresses give it a Brutalist, cathedral-like appearance, which, in Konstantinov’s own words, alludes to the “medieval monasteries and churches of the Balkans.”

The Telecommunications building, constructed between 1979 and 1981 right next to the Post Office, is notable for its cylindrical towers and circular windows. In the Post Office lobby (1979-1981), the final phase of the Telecommunications Center, the sharp concrete ribs extending above the dome appear both archaic and futuristic.

In 2013, a fire severely damaged the building, destroying its glass dome and the murals that decorated the interior. There are plans to convert the entire complex into a cultural center.