Sivec is the trademark of the dolomitic
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
extracted from the quarries of Mermeren Kombinat A.D., near the town of
Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appear ...
in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. The fine grain makes it ideal for
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
and
architectural
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
applications.
History
The extraction of Sivec marble can be dated back 500 BCE and earlier. Extraction flourished under the Roman period when the quarries near the ancient city of
Stibera (today
Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appear ...
) produced stone for the production of Roman sculptures, as well as replicas of Greek original bronzes. These replicas went to Rome or to other parts of the empire.
Sivec is a renowned material that was extensively utilized in southeastern Europe from the 3rd century BCE until the 5th century CE, giving rise to some of the most visually breathtaking creations of the ancient world. It is estimated that approximately 1.2 million cubic meters of Sivec White Marble were extracted from the Prilep area during this period.
Through the centuries, Sivec was used for many building and reconstruction sites throughout the world. It was used for the reconstruction of Roman emperor
Diocletian's Palace in
Split,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. It has been also used by
Edvard Ravnikar for lines at
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square ( sl, Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports ...
in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Also, all of the marble used in the external cladding of the
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque ( ar, جَامِع ٱلشَّيْخ زَايِد ٱلْكَبِيْر, Jāmiʿ Ash-Shaykh Zāyid Al-Kabīr) is located in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The largest mosque in the countr ...
was sourced from Sivec.
Today
The marble-bearing deposits in the area are widely known and are among the largest in the world. The whiteness of the marble, its homogeneous form, and the micro-granular structure generate a high demand for Sivec marble on the international market.
Sivec®, or Bianco Sivec, is the registered name for this fine-grained white dolomitic marble.
Nowadays, Sivec has been selected to give the characteristic, exclusive white appearance in many large well-known projects including hotels, palaces, commercial buildings, etc.
Company
A quarry was established in 1946. In 2009, NBGI Private Equity and Ethemba Capital acquired 88.4% of the shares of the company through Stone Works Holdings, a Dutch company co-owned by private equity funds managed by NBGI Private Equity and Ethemba Capital. On 2017 Pavlidis Marble Granite, one of the greatest companies for white marble, purchased the Stone Works Holdings, which owns 89,25% of Mermeren Kombinat A.D.
See also
*
List of types of marble
References
{{reflist
Marble
Economy of North Macedonia
Prilep Municipality