POSTCARD N.124 - NORTH MACEDONIA

Postcard sent on the 1st November; received on the 23rd November 2023

Postcard image: The National Archeological Museum of North Macedonia, in Skopje
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North Macedonia.... what's is a name?

It has been ages, literally, since Alexander the Great died, but his fame as a conqueror and empire maker lives on.... 

But the word "empire" today has not that positive a connotation as it had on Alexandre's days and ethnic and nationalistic pressure can create terrible strains on good neighbouring.

So much so that having a Macedonia on different sides of a border line, created a dispute that took almost three decades to solve, between the now called Republic of North Macedonia and the Hellenic Republic, finally settled by the Prespa agreement of 2018.

And I'm glad it all came to a peaceful end. After all, who would have liked to have his motherland called "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" for ever?

Macedonia today is a candidate to becoming a member of the UE, and just last week the European Council voted on opening up negotiations for the accession procedure so maybe this will help dissolve all the latent ethnic and geopolitical strains that the country has known since its independency.

Un grand Merci, Eric, for letting me add another country to the list .

The entrance to the National Archaeological Museum

The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Macedonia was established in 1944, in what was then Yugoslavia, and it seems that with the break up of Tito's country it transitioned  to the new Republic of North Macedonia, since the 44 Dinar stamp on the postcard was issued by the Post of North Macedonia on 17OCT019, celebrating its 75 years of existence.

What strikes me as strange is the fact that the only thing resembling an official website for the only symphonic orchestra in the country is a page on Belgrade's Philharmonic Orchestra website.

Anyway harps and double basses for them and may they play "the Ninth", loud and meaningfully,  for many years!

The postmark indicates that the postcard was mailed from Skopje, the country's capital.