The Floor Fountain on Macedonia Square Runs Again, and Gjorgjievski Promises: Cars "Never Again"

The floor fountain on Skopje's Macedonia Square is spraying water again after a pause of several years. For now it is only a trial: technical checks, calibration and fine-tuning of the system are under way, mayor Orce Gjorgjievski announced on Facebook.

More important than the water was the sentence that followed. The fountain area, Gjorgjievski says, will "never again" be a passage for cars and heavy goods vehicles, because the square belongs to the citizens. Does that mean this is exactly what had been happening until now - on the most famous square in the country, in full view of everyone?

At the same time, a thorough clean-up of the square and the Stone Bridge is under way. "Cleaning is not a one-off campaign, it is daily work. The renovation obliges us to maintain it permanently," the mayor said.

When the fountain will start running regularly, nobody said. Nor who will guard it from the next truck. A "never again" promise is easy on Facebook; it gets harder when someone actually has to step in front of the next vehicle that tries to drive across it.