Concrete Arch Dam Sv. Andreja - Matka
Buildings/In 1930, the mayor of Skopje, Josif Mihailović, formed a commission of prominent experts with the aim of finding an inexpensive source of electricity for Skopje. The commission proposed building a dam on the Treska River, at the exit of the gorge, near the village of Matka.
Construction work on the dam began in 1935, and the hydroelectric power plant started operating in 1938. The construction was extensive and an engineering challenge for its time. The construction of the hydroelectric plant was managed by Akjim Popović. The author of the project and supervisor of the works was academician Prof. Dr. Miladin Pećinar, engineer (one of the pioneers in the development of modern hydraulic engineering and hydroenergetics in former Yugoslavia), who is most responsible for its construction. According to one anecdote, when the dam was completed, Pećinar stood on its top and exclaimed: "If the dam goes, let the one who envisioned it go with it."
Architect Miladin Pecinar
Construction year 1935-1938
Investor / Owner The City of Skopje
City / Municipality Skopje
/ Saraj
Address Matka Canyon (lake)
Floors Height: 29.5 m; Length: 64 m.
Original typology
Current purpose
Protection status not protected
- Building chronology (project, construction phases)Commissioned in 1938, with an installed capacity of 4.8 MW.Number of floorsHeight: 29.5 m; Length: 64 m.Program description (floor plan details)An arch dam made of reinforced concrete structure, consisting of 10 horizontal rings independent of each other. Through the intake tunnel, water is transported to the surge chamber and then, via two pipelines, is conveyed to the powerhouse. Excess water overflows laterally across the dam.StructureAn arch dam made of reinforced concrete structure (consisting of 10 horizontal rings).ContextThe dam is located at the exit of the Treska River canyon, in close proximity to the village of Dolna Matka. The surrounding landscape is enriched with medieval monasteries ("Sv. Andreja," "Sv. Nikola Shishevski"), caves (Vrelo, Krshtalna), and endemic flora and fauna. The road to the dam, built in 1938, facilitated access to the "Sv. Andreja" Monastery.
- Exterior conditiongoodModificationsCommissioned in 1938, with an installed capacity of 4.8 MW. In 2008, the intake tunnel was reconstructed and a completely new hydroelectric power plant was built, with an installed capacity of 9.6 MW. With the construction of the new powerhouse, located nearby, the old powerhouse ceased operation and in 2016 was repurposed as an educational and exhibition center.
- not protected Natural monument
- societal/social historical technical authorship The concrete arch dam Sv. Andreja (Matka) - the first built in Macedonia is a symbol of the country’s technical progress and natural beauty. Its architectural innovation, combined with the ecological and cultural value of the Matka Canyon, make it especially significant.