The fire of Skopje started on 26 October 1689 and lasted for two days, burning much of the city; only some stone-built structures, such as the fortress and some churches and mosques, were relatively undamaged. The fire had a disastrous effect on the city: its population declined from around 60,000 to around 10,000, and it lost its regional importance as a trading centre. Many of them settled in the imperial capital, creating the Üsküp mahallesi (Turkish for "Skopje neighborhood"). In 1689 the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

general

Enea Silvio Piccolomini Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...

led an army to capture

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

and Macedonia from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

. In the same time, successful development of

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

was suddenly interrupted in 1689 by the entry of the Austrian army into Macedonia. During the Austrian-Turkish war (1683-1699), Austrian troops under the command of General Piccolomini penetrated in an unstoppable advance far into the interior of European Turkey and, after taking the fortress of

Kaçanik Kaçanik ( sq-definite, Kaçaniku) or Kačanik ( sr-Cyrl, Качаник, ) is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District of southern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Kaçanik has 15,634 inhabitants, while the munici ...

, descended into the Skopje plain. On 25 October 1689, they took Skopje without much struggle, for the Turkish army and the inhabitants had left the town. By order of General Piccolomini, Skopje was set on fire, and the conflagration lasted two days (26 and 27 October); great many houses and shops were destroyed, but the worst damage was in the Jewish quarter of the town, where almost all the dwelling-houses, two synagogues and the Jewish school were destroyed. During the Skopje offensive, General Piccolomini contracted and died from

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

. Some accounts of these events state that Piccolomini razed Skopje due to an inability of his forces to occupy and govern a city so far from his headquarters.

Buildings damaged by the fire

Kapan Han Kapan Han ( mk, Капан ан, ) is a han (caravanserai) in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, North Macedonia. It was built in the mid-15th century by Bosnian general Isa-Beg Isaković, ruler of Skopsko Krajište, in order to provide a regular sour ...

* Skopje clock tower * İshak Bey Mosque * Yahya Pasha Mosque * Sultan Murad Mosque and its

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

Suli An The Suli An ( mk, Сули ан, ) is a han in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, North Macedonia. It was built in the mid-15th century by Isa-Beg Isaković. Etymology The name of the han is derived from the Turkish ''Sulu Han'', with ''su'' which ...

* Kursumli An * Skopje Bedesten * Arasta Mosque * Church of the Ascension of Jesus

References

External links

Дневник, 25.10.2008: „317 години од пожарот што го збриша градот“

„Денот што го турна Скопје во двовековен мрак“, „Нова Македонија“, 24.10.2009
Great Turkish War Fire of 1689 Urban fires in Europe 1689 in the Ottoman Empire 1689 in Europe 1689 disasters

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