The Architecture of Tetova between the end of the 19th century and the World War Two

Abstract

The time period between the late 19th century and World War Two is known as a period of markant transformation in the Ottoman Empire. These changes influenced the city of Tetova in all aspects, such as political, economical, sociological, and architectural. The goal of this paper is the presentation of different architectural styles in the city of Tetova during the above mentioned time period. The breaking point of the so-called 'traditional style' in architecture, in order to leave place for the 'new' one, is another tantative of the work. The traditional way of building was very acute during the rise of 'europianisation' of architecture at this specific time in Tetova, regardless of style influences that were coming from Europe. The first part of the paper tends to explain the power, and at the same time, the authoritative influence of the building tradition during the process of applying different style elements that were coming form Europe. This moment represents the first part of the transformations in the architecture of Tetova during this time. The second part of the work catches the moment when styles already dominated the architectural work executed in Tetova. We were aware that tradition it is not always able to leave marks on the new architectures of the 20th century. Architects were able to correctly apply elements of different architectural styles in their works, and that is why buildings of this time were more correctly formed in an architectural way. Through the architectural expression, the 'europianisation' of Tetova is noticable.