A good item for your own Macedonian collection

Here is one tip for everyone who wants to start his own collection of Macedonia-related art and photographs from the period 1850-1950: a German book published in 1915 with a title “Bilder vom Mazedonischen Kriegsschauplatze” (Pictures from Macedonian battlefield). The book has been created upon an order of the German military general command and published by Munich graphic society. The collection of photographs has been made by various military personnel and collected and edited my lieutenant Ludwig von Buerkel and the cover was illustrated by lieutenant Hans Schmidt-Annaberg.

This book is a time-travel machine. It will bring you back in 1915 in the markets and streets of Skopje (Ushkub), Veles, Prilep, Shtip, Stobi, Pletvar, Babuna, Tetovo (Kalkandelen), Bitola (Monastir), Ohrid, Dojran and all the way to Xhanthi Greece. I find it fascinating how oriental looking was Macedonia. At the same time, it is also fascinating how much some things still look the same, for example the St. Spas church in Skopje, the road to Mariovo from Pletvar, the city church of Prilep, etc. It is very sad to see how many architectural jewels disappeared in the meantime, for example the old streets of Veles which were even more beautiful that the streets of Ohrid. We see people making village water well with the antique Roman stones from Stobi.

And it is very hearth warming to see how close people from different religions and ethnicities lived together and helped each other. We see photographs of Orthodox Christian priest sitting and chatting with a Turk, Albanian Arnaut guarding the Treskavec monastery. The busy city and village markets will with people from all ethnic groups, trading and socializing.

The book is relatively easy to find and relatively cheap. Here is one link there you can purchase it: https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/bilder-vom-mazedonischen-kriegsschauplatz/