Skopje, 1 April 2026 (MIA) – The State Archive of the Republic of Macedonia is marking its 75th anniversary on Wednesday.

A ceremony at Porta Macedonia will feature speeches and the awarding of certificates of appreciation to its long-standing supporters and friends, the institution said.

“The jubilee is an opportunity to highlight the Archive’s role as a guardian of cultural memory and historical heritage and as an institution building bridges to the future,” reads the press release.

The institution’s director, Dimitar Bogeski, said in a recent interview with MIA that the State Archive is a pillar of Macedonian identity, noting that safeguarding the entire archival heritage remains a major challenge. He noted that the oldest document in its possession is a 12th-century Gospel of Luke from the collection of the Robevi family of Ohrid.

Bogeski said that, to mark the jubilee, the Archive will organize exhibitions, book launches and document presentations aimed at promoting the materials it preserves, and, as he stressed, promoting the country’s overall social, historical and cultural activity.

“The State Archive of Macedonia marks 75 years since it was founded in 1951 by a government decree. It is a significant moment for the institution and the country, and an opportunity to look back on its development and the generations that contributed to strengthening archival work and building the institution,” Bogeski told MIA.

In the interview, Bogeski highlighted ongoing challenges, including inadequate space and the process of digitalization.

“One of the primary challenges we face is space, particularly the need to create conditions for new storage facilities. We are also challenged by the need to apply modern conservation and restoration methods, including preserving archival material, addressing damage, repairing and restoring documents to their original condition. And as the final stage in addressing these challenges is digitalization, which is perhaps one of the most important elements, as it allows us, through the digitization of documents, archival heritage or materials that constitute first-category cultural heritage to both protect archival materials and make them more accessible for scientific research purposes,” he said.

Photo: MIA archive