The metal domes over „Skenderbeg" square in Čair, which have stood for years as a structure in search of a purpose, are finally getting a function: the municipality is launching a procedure to turn the space into a modern library of Albanian books. The announcement came from Mayor Izet Mexhiti at a press conference marking the closing of the Albanian Book Fair.

„We will build the Albanian library. We're starting the procedure to transform the space above Skenderbeg square into a modern library, open to students and to all citizens. It will be a home of knowledge and culture in the heart of Čair," Mexhiti said. The space is envisioned as multifunctional - for reading, studying, research, with literature in Albanian and other languages.

The idea was promoted during the Albanian Book Fair - Skopje 2026, held from 1 to 7 June, organized by the Municipality of Čair and the Institute for Books and Promotion from Tirana. And one more piece of news from the same press conference: the fair will from now on be held every year. „From a one-off event to a lasting institutional and spatial value," as the mayor put it.

Let's also say what everyone who has walked past the square is thinking: for years the domes were a symbol of the unfinished - an expensive structure with no content. If, instead of yet another empty symbol, we get a reading room with students inside it, that's a win for the city regardless of the language of the books. A library in any neighborhood of Skopje is better news than one more parking lot.

There remains, of course, the Metla question that applies to every major project in this country: the announcement has been made, the procedure „is starting" - while the architectural details and the deadlines are promised „in the coming period." We'll be counting: from press conference to the first book borrowed. The history of Skopje's announcements has taught us to measure the distance between those two points.